I Was Feeling Epic
by KatemonLazuli
Summary: This is a rewriting of the TVD finale. It is mostly #Bamon focused. This is my own, personnal version and wish of how TVD should have ended. Read to learn more !
1. Chapter 1

Bright green eyes opened slowly. A blinding, white light made their owner blink several times as it reflected in their delicate irises. Brown hands grasped the grass and pushed, until knees, legs, and feet got the message and followed the movement. The whitish, long, bridesmaid's dress rose into a standing position, still as smooth as ever, brushing against the green grass as its wearer took small, uncertain steps.

"What the -?" Bonnie frowned, a puzzled expression on her face as she glanced around her to try and figure out where she had landed.

She was in the forest. Mystics Falls'. She could recognize the familiar giant trees, green soil, and mystical atmosphere which had always defined this part of the small town. But why was she here? Was she dead? Alive? Something halfway along those lines?

Bonne stopped walking. She turned around, scanning every part of the forest her eyes could reach, looking for any sign or hint that would give her main question an answer. Secretly, she hoped Grams would show up and explain everything to her – maybe lead her to paradise so she could finally find peace and rest? Her heart beat faster and faster as the minutes passed – but nothing happened. No one. Nothing. She was all alone.

In a last attempt, desperate to find any company, the witch closed her eyes and took a deep breath:

"DAMON?" she yelled, praying to hear a sarcastic reply from her insufferable best friend. "CARE? STEFAN? ENZO?" she tried again, but none of them answered nor revealed themselves.

Sighing in defeat, Bonnie bit her lips and massaged her temple.

Okay. Something had happened to her. She knew it. That much was obvious. She just had to plunge deep into her mind to remember _how_ and _why_ she had ended up in there. Only one thing was sure – it wasn't present Mystic Falls' forest, otherwise everyone she had called would have been able to hear her and come to her rescue.

Bonnie focused. She racked her brain, her memories, trying to catch the one thing that would make this situation clearer. And then she remembered. Caroline and Stefan's wedding. The dance with Damon. The explosion. The girls siphoning her and saving them from the deadly fire. Her goodbye to Enzo. The bell ringing and echoing in her head like a torturous hammer hitting her on the inside. The nosebleed. Stefan's worried look. And then - nothing. She had blacked out. Collapsed from the amount of pain and power these events had caused and needed.

So, did it mean -? Was she -?

"You're not dead, Bon," a soft, familiar voice spoke from behind her, answering her mental question as if she had heard her thoughts.

Bonnie froze, unable to move. That voice… Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall as her heartbeat quickened, causing her to start breathing heavily. Then, slowly, she turned around, and met her best friend's familiar, warm, brown eyes. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out – she couldn't believe it. Somehow, it felt like she was just dreaming – it couldn't be real.

"Hello, Bonnie," Elena's voice cracked with a tearful smile.

She wore a genuine, loving expression on her still young face. She hadn't changed one bit. She hadn't aged one second.

The caramel woman stared at her, astonished. One tear slid down her cheek as she whispered in a desperate, hopeful voice:

"Is it really you?"

Her brown-eyed best friend chuckled tearfully, before nodding. She couldn't speak anymore either, overwhelmed by the happiness to see Bonnie again. As beautiful, young and adorable as she had last seen her in her bedroom.

"Oh, my god, _Elena_!" Bonnie smiled, tears cascading down her brown skin like a fountain as she finally realized that it was real.

Elena kept nodding at her, mirroring her best friend's tears and grinning to the point that her cheeks started to hurt badly, as she watched Bonnie run into her arms.

They both tightly wrapped their arms around each other, burying their face in the other's neck and breathing their scent in, enjoying the sensation of touching and seeing each other again after so long. They stayed like that for several minutes, before Bonnie broke their hug.

"How are you here?!" she exclaimed, wiping her wet face as she inspected every inch of Elena, as if still doubting it was really her.

"I'm here and there. I can go wherever I want to – my house, the high school, the forest, the Boarding House, Whitmore, New York, London…anywhere. I just have to think about the place where I want to go," Elena told her, shrugging as she joined their hands once Bonnie was done brushing her tears away.

"Wow," Bonnie whispered, eyes wide as she imagined what it was like. "So, you can see us? Or the dead people?" the witchy brunette tilted her head to the side in a curious manner.

"No," Elena chuckled. "It's a bit more complicated than that," the young woman replied, gesturing towards a large trunk for them to sit down.

They did so, their hands still joined as they walked towards it and sat down on it, side by side.

"I can't see you guys – because you're in the world of the living. Which I'm not entirely part of anymore. And I can't see dead people - because I'm not dead either," the brown-haired girl continued, under Bonnie's confused stare. "It's kind of – a midway world, if you want. Only supernatural people who are half-dead, half-alive come here. Or, in my case, who are not dying but are not living either – comatose people," she finished, trying to be as clear as she could manage.

Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows, concentrating to try and understand her and Elena's situation. Her magical knowledge helped her getting the idea, and she thanked her witchy side for it – saved her brain a horrible headache.

"So, you're saying that, right now, I'm between life and death?" the witch asked, raising her eyes to meet Elena's kind face.

"Yeah, that's it. Right now, your body and soul are fighting for your life," the brunette told her as calmly as she could, but Bonnie sensed her worry in the tone of her voice.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie frowned, watching as Elena shook her head in a determined manner.

"It's wrong, Bonnie. You _can't_ die right now. You're too young," her best friend told her sternly, lifting her head to meet Bonnie's gaze. "I know what happened to Enzo – I saw him briefly before he died for good, and he told me everything that happened. How you two got together, and how Stefan -,' Elena stopped, tears welling up in her eyes again.

She didn't want to remind her best friend of these tragic events, but she needed to make her understand something very important. Bonnie's green eyes became somber at the mention of Enzo, and she didn't resist the urge to look away from Elena, and stubbornly planted her eyes on the floor instead.

Then, she felt Elena's hand gently squeezing hers, while her free arm wrapped around her waist in a comforting way. Bonnie tried not to cry. She had had enough of pain and grief.

"I know it's hard, but – it's not your time, Bonnie. You can't die right now. You need to live, have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren…," Elena stated confidently, her heart breaking at the idea of Bonnie dying without having lived a long and happy life. "The Bennett line can't end with you, Bon – otherwise, who will save our asses?" she joked, earning a small chuckle from Bonnie, to which she smiled triumphantly.

"True," Bonnie smiled, tearing her eyes away from the ground as she lifted her head to look at Elena again, having gained some mental strength back. "I know, and you're right," she nodded determinedly, swallowing the lump which had formed in her throat.

"Besides, I'm not waking up till' you're old and grey, and probably can't remember your name," the doppelganger added, giving her friend a gentle push with her shoulder.

Bonnie laughed, and rested her head against Elena's shoulder, who immediately started playing with her soft, curly hair.

"I'm afraid," the young witch suddenly admitted after some peaceful, silent seconds.

"Afraid of what?" Elena quirked her eyebrows in a concerned way, urging her to go on with her confession.

"Of moving on. I'm scared of getting over Enzo, and what I had with him. I miss him," Bonnie confessed, chewing on her lips to keep her eyes from tearing up again.

Right now, she didn't need to cry – she needed her best friend's advice. After all, Elena had succeeded to move on from Stefan – her very first epic love. She was bound to understand her situation, and help her with this issue. If her time hadn't come yet, then she had to live her life at the fullest and get everything she dreamt of – getting married, having children, a real job – before death decided to come and get her.

She watched from the corner of her eyes as Elena thought for a brief moment. She seemed to contemplate the possibilities of what she could tell Bonnie to make her feel better.

"Of course, you miss him, Bon. That's only normal. I'd be very worried if you didn't, after being with him for almost four years," Elena offered her a reassuring smile. "But things happen, and at some point, you have to let go and carry on with your life. Otherwise, it isn't healthy for you. It's not right for you to keep grieving for someone you know won't come back," she frowned, waiting for a reaction from her best friend.

"I know, but – he was taken from me so harshly, Lena. It's hard to get over something so tragic," Bonnie sighed, enjoying the calming way Elena was stroking her hair.

"I know it is. You're talking to a girl whose adoptive parents died in a car crash, who saw her vampire birth mother burn in front of her, witnessed her Aunt Jenna being savagely murdered, and learnt that her uncle slash birth father willingly died in her place to save her – so trust me, I've dealt with tragic deaths all my life," Elena told her, raising an eyebrow as if daring Bonnie to refute that theory.

The Bennett witch gave her a sorry smile. But the idea that her best friend had indeed experienced the same thing as her and had still been able to live her life brought her some hope.

"And how did you do it? How did you - move on and carry on with your life, after that?" Bonnie questioned, eyes wide as she raised her head a little to meet the doppelganger's comprehensive eyes.

"I cried, I grieved, I drowned in pain for several months," Elena shrugged, remembering these painful moments as if it had been yesterday, bending her head down. "And then I decided I wanted to make them proud and happy, wherever they were now – and the only way to do that, was to move on, carry on with my dreams and projects, and live the life I wanted to the fullest possible," she smiled again, lifting her head back up as Bonnie delicately pulled away from the warmth of her shoulder.

Bonnie stared at her, thinking. She stayed silent for a second. Then, she slowly nodded, allowing Elena's wise words to sink in. It was very good advice – the healthiest, and the most logical. Also, the less painful. She knew Elena was right, and she knew that's what she had started to do the moment she had said goodbye to Enzo – moving on with her life. He would always be a part of it – but he belonged to the past, just like Jeremy, Grams, and her father did. It didn't mean she had forgotten them – she would never; but it meant she was done grieving and she was ready to make them proud. She was ready to _live_. She was ready to fall in love again.

"Do you still love Stefan?" Bonnie blurted out before she could stop herself.

The question had been burning her lips ever since her best friend had gotten together with Damon. Deep down, she wanted to know if it truly was possible to forget a love like the one she and Stefan had had – soulmate love. But she didn't seem sorry about her slip and waited for Elena's answer, eyebrows furrowed in an interested manner.

Elena gaped a little – Bonnie had caught her by surprise. But she quickly picked herself up and thought of an appropriate answer. The most truthful one she could manage.

"Well…," she started, nibbling on her lips as she broke away from Bonnie's intense stare. "To be honest - yes. Yes, I still love him," Elena admitted, unable to lie to her best friend.

They looked at each other with a knowing expression on their faces. They both knew what Bonnie had meant by "still loving Stefan" – she had meant "still being in love with him". It didn't surprise Bonnie, though – somehow, everyone had always known things between Elena and Stefan would never be just friendly. And as much as Damon tried to deny it or ignore it, he too, knew that Elena and Stefan would never be able to forget what they had.

"But I only came to this conclusion very recently," Elena added, playing with her hands as she tried to explain what she meant. "Being here – in the coma and away from Damon and everyone I mean, it made me think a lot. I've been all alone with my thoughts for almost four years, in this midway world. It gives anyone enough time to look at their life and feelings, and analyze them once for all," she said, glancing at Bonnie. "That's what I did, during all those years. And being alone, with no one but myself to interfere and judge, it allowed me to do it in the most objective way possible," she continued, her eyes wandering to the ground, the sky, before finally settling on her caramel-skinned childhood friend. "And you should do that too – analyze your life and your feelings. I think you'd be very surprised by what you'd find," Elena smirked lightly, winking.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie frowned, watching her closely as she tried to guess the hidden meaning of Elena' words.

But at the same moment, a tickling sensation invaded Bonnie's entire body. She started feeling hot, compared to the coldness of the Mystic Falls forest they were in right now, and her heart seemed to suddenly spring back to life. It hammered faster and faster against her ribcage, everything around her became blurrier and blurrier as she squinted her eyes in the striking blindness of the light. She could barely feel Elena's hands on her shoulders, shaking her with worry, and struggled to make out the alarming cries of her best friends:

"Bonnie! Bonnie, what's happening ?!" Elena yelled, but it was impossible for Bonnie to form any word and answer her. "I think you're coming back to life, Bonnie! Can you hear me? You're rejoining your body!" her brown-eyed best friend screamed, a joyful tone in her voice.

But Elena's voice faded away as Bonnie felt herself being engulfed in the soil, and swallowed by the now misshapen place around her. Then darkness filled her scared, confused eyes – and everything went black.

* * *

Someone was pressing their hands on her ribcage, giving it harsh pushes as to try and cause a reaction from it. One. Two. Three. Seven. Twelve. Twenty-one. Thirty. She felt her heart pulsating furiously – then the pushing stopped. She felt a breath against her dry lips. Large gulps of air entered her mouth, hurtling down her throat, and landed into her lungs, filling them entirely. She gasped.

"Bonnie! Bonnie, can you hear me?! Oh, my god!", a high-pitched voice cried hysterically, obviously panicked.

"She's breathing, Care. It's okay," another voice answered the previous one, though doubt and concern were still very much present in its tone.

"Step away," a third, firm and authoritarian male voice growled sharply.

Slowly, Bonnie felt some strength coming back to her weakened body. Air was easy to breathe in now, and she did so, eager to feel it filling her lungs again and again. After a moment, her lungs seemed to do their natural work again, and Bonnie's brain could focus on something else – her surroundings.

She opened one eye, and though the sudden white light blinded her at first, she refused to close it again. She was tired of losing consciousness. Determined, Bonnie managed to open the other one, and could make out a tall, dark-haired form leaning over her. Everything slowly became clearer and clearer as she concentrated to make her senses work again; and she was able to recognize two familiar blue eyes staring worriedly at her. Her heart leapt at the sight of Damon – and everything came back to her in a sudden flash.

She tried to speak at the realization of what had just happened to her, but Damon stopped her before she could utter a single word.

"Don't. Drink my blood, Bon," he ordered her, voice gentle and stern at the same time as he pushed his slit wrist against her cold lips.

Without hesitating, Bonnie raised her small, brown hand and wrapped it around Damon's wrist. She held it in place, eyes planted on her best friend's ones as she drank greedily from his open cut, feeling his vampire blood healing her.

"Yeah, that's it, Bon Bon, drink", Damon smiled at her, relief showing on his former tense face. His eyes never left hers as he made sure she didn't stop before being fully recovered.

The sensation was weird, as always, but pleasant as Bonnie felt herself regain full forces and consciousness. It was as if nothing had ever happened to her. Once she was done, she gently pulled away from Damon, and pushed on her elbows to sit down properly. Damon watched her closely, ready to react in a second and catch her if he noticed any sign of weakness or pain.

"Is everyone okay?" was the first thing Bonnie asked, frowning at Damon.

"You could say that," he sighed, glancing past Bonnie's head.

Confused, Bonnie finally spotted Caroline and Stefan out of the corner of her eyes, wearing scared and relieved expressions on their faces – an intriguing mix.

"Thank god, you're okay!" Caroline suddenly exclaimed, rushing to Bonnie's side, before bending down next to her and pulling her in a warm, tight embrace. "God, I was going crazy! I thought – I thought you were-," the blond started, but stopped in the middle of her sentence, as if the mere idea was unbearable to her.

"It's okay Care, I'm here," Bonnie reassured her, touched by her best friend's evident distress. "I'm alright," she repeated, holding her tightly, as she wrapped her arms around Caroline's waist.

The two best friends stayed like this for a few minutes. Damon and Stefan exchanged knowing looks as they watched them hug. There had been enough deaths in their original gang, already.

"Okay," Caroline sighed, detaching herself from Bonnie and wiping her eyes with her shaking hands. "We should probably get out of here, now," the bubbly vampire stated, standing up as she looked around the dark room.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get out of here before something else happens," Stefan agreed, as Damon nodded but remained on his spot, next to Bonnie.

"You two go and see what happened downstairs while we were here, help Matt with her mom," Damon said, gesturing towards the exit. "I'm going to stay with Bon and help her up, we'll catch with you," he added, sending a careful look at his best friend.

The couple nodded, and walked towards the staircase. As Caroline reached the threshold, Stefan followed behind her but stopped in front of Bonnie. The blond mom turned around and smiled knowingly, waiting for her newly husband to say what he had to say.

"I'm happy you're alright, Bonnie," Stefan told her softly, bending down so he was at her level. "You really scared me. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if – if you were gone too," he admitted, eyes genuine and full of guilt.

Bonnie contemplated him, eyeing his sincere face and listening to his touching confession. After what seemed like a million years for Stefan, she took a deep breath, and planted her eyes into his sorry ones:

"I know it was you who tried to reanimate me, so…thank you. I highly appreciate it," she told him, and Stefan nodded. "I'm glad you're okay too…and I forgive you," Bonnie swallowed the lump in her throat, before offering him a small, genuine, kind smile.

Stefan's face lightened up at her words, and his eyes filled with tears. He smiled back and nodded again.

"Thank you," he whispered, before casting a side look at Damon, who was also smiling at him.

He stood up, walked towards a grinning Caroline and sent one last grateful look at Bonnie, before disappearing with his wife in the hallway.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty, let's get you up," Damon winked, placing an arm around Bonnie's waist to secure her, as she got on her feet.

The Bennett witch rolled her eyes, ignoring Damon's new nickname for her. Once she was up, he didn't let go of her waist and Bonnie sent him an annoyed look.

"I'm fine, Damon. I can walk on my own," she complained, trying to remove Damon's fingers off her waist.

But the sarcastic vampire tightened his hold around her, refusing to let go.

"I don't think so, Missy," he shook his head, smirking in victory when Bonnie gave up and crossed her arms in defeat, glaring at him. "Vampire blood may heal internal and external wounds, but it also makes you dizzy for a moment," Damon stubbornly argued, moving his hand to press it on the small of her back, indicating for her to start walking.

Bonnie bit her lips, trying to come up with a reply – but Damon was right. She was feeling slightly dizzy. She noticed Damon's happy expression and smiled, shaking her head.

"You're unbelievable, you know?" the brunette told him, as they reached the doorway.

"No. I'm protective," he retorted, stopping just in front of the staircase. He turned to face her.

His face became serious as he watched her intently. Bonnie felt his bright, baby blue eyes scan her face closely, intentionally putting all his worry and emotions in them so she could see how scared he had been.

"You almost died, Bon. It's not something I take lightly, or something you can just shrug off as if it didn't matter," Damon half-scolded her, frowning in determination to make her understand how wrong it was to think that way.

Bonnie looked down at his statement, silently staring at the floor. She chewed hard on her lips, knowing Damon was waiting for a reaction. She could feel the distress he had felt, the fear that had been eating him from the inside as he had probably seen her unconscious on the floor, with Stefan trying to reanimate her desperately. His feelings were radiating off him. And she understood – because her world had also stopped spinning when Cade had told her Damon was dead. And it might have been how her best friend had felt. But she had been weak and not herself lately…

"I know," she breathed out, lifting her head to meet Damon's intense stare again.

His eyes penetrated her, reading her soul – and she was surprised to find herself unbothered by it, and rather comfortable. Knowing Damon cared about and loved her that much was reassuring, it was soothing.

"Do you, really? Because it felt like you were ready to let yourself die, just so you could join Enzo in that afterlife world you created," Damon spat, a dangerous glow appearing on his face for a few seconds.

He hadn't meant to say it so harshly, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. The vampire had noticed that Bonnie seemed to have a death wish ever since she had started dating Enzo – either to bring him back, or just so she could reunite with him. And he loathed it even more because he knew it wasn't like her – Bonnie hadn't been herself for a long time. It was time to put a stop to it – he'd make sure of it.

Bonnie frowned – it sounded like Damon was resenting her and Enzo. It also felt like he was jealous – but Bonnie shook this stupid thought away from her mind as quickly as it came. It was ridiculous. But she also knew he was right – she had been neglecting her life again, as Elena had told her. She couldn't be mad at Damon for being angry, because she understood how frustrating it might have been. But she was ready to be herself again.

She took a deep breath, shaking her head as to show Damon she was putting this martyr-like side of her behind her, in the past. Then, planting her emerald eyes into his blues ones, she told him:

"You're right. And I'm sorry," Bonnie swallowed the emotional lump which had formed in her sudden dry throat, due to their intimate moment. Then, she took his hand in hers. "I promise it won't happen again," she added, smiling softly as she quoted Damon's own words.

The dark-haired man nodded shortly, still not in a mood to joke – but he cracked a small smile at Bonnie's last words.

"It better not," he answered after a silent moment of intense staring.

And before Bonnie could say more, he softly brought his hand around her face, kissed her forehead delicately, and pulled her in a tight hug. The brunette beauty immediately responded to this kind gesture by wrapping her small arms around his muscular waist, and rested her chin on his shoulder, eyes closed. Damon closed his eyes too, enjoying the warm, calming feeling of having her in his arms after almost thinking she had died.

"I love you, Bonnie," the vampire whispered in her ear, suddenly very sentimental. Saying it to Bonnie was like an urge he couldn't control.

The caramel woman stiffened at her best friend's meaningful words. But convincing herself that he was saying it in the context of their deep friendship, and scolding herself for having even thought for a second that he could mean it in more than a friendly way, Bonnie smiled and tightened her hold around him.

"I love you too," she returned, ignoring the sensation of completeness and rightness that overwhelmed her the moment she pronounced these words.

Damon's heart missed a beat.

* * *

"What do you mean, _Katherine_ 's back ?!" Damon scowled at Matt, a few moments later; when they had joined the others in the now deserted reception room of the wedding.

They were all gathered around the blood-covered, dead body of Mrs. Donovan. Bonnie tried her best not to look at it, focusing on Matt's overwhelmed expression instead.

"Mom told me that the minute Vicki would ring the bell for the twelfth time, Katherine would be able to get out of hell… and hellfire would destroy Mystic Falls at precisely ten p.m. Then she dropped dead," Matt tragically revealed, staring at his mom's dead body with tears in his eyes.

Caroline gasped, then brought a shaking hand to her mouth. Incredulity and helplessness could be read in her wide eyes. Stefan cursed and sent an innocent chair flying across the morbid room.

Bonnie merely reacted with a resigned look – she had felt it coming a thousand miles away. It was bound to happen. She had known it the minute Kai had told her Katherine had taken Hell over. They were screwed.

Damon simply blinked. He didn't seem to think Katherine's return was possible. The bitch had ruined his entire life – human _and_ vampire. There was absolutely no way she had been able to come back after they had wisely stabbed her with the Travelers' Dagger, and carefully kept her slutty bones in a safe vault. The time when he had merrily and sarcastically played with Katherine's bones, drinking Bourbon with his little brother for his stag party, seemed very far to Damon – it was just a distant memory now.

A dreadful, tragic silence followed Matt's words and everybody's alarmed reactions. Somehow, as it was the most natural, logical thing to do in the world, they all turned towards Damon and waited for him to say something. Bonnie frowned with worry, watching closely as her best friend processed everything.

"Matt – evacuate the town, Caroline – get the girls and Ric, and speed the hell out of here. Bonnie, Stefan – you go with her. Don't forget to take Elena too. I'll deal with the bitch," he spoke in a calm, impassive voice, eyes lost and staring ahead of him.

And he was crossing the room, walking in a determined manner before anyone could form any answer. Once his words had hit them, Matt pulled out his phone and called his office; while Caroline shook her head and came back to her senses.

But Stefan strode forwards towards Damon before Caroline could grab him, his eyes full of panic.

"Damon, wait!" the green-eyed Salvatore yelled, slowing down as Damon halted, surprised. "I'm not running away like a frightened, lame coward," he screamed indignantly, now face to face with his brother. "I'm not leaving you, Damon. I'm coming with you," he panted, daring his brother to try and stop him.

Damon seemed to consider fighting with his brother for a second – but the look on Stefan's face was enough to tell him it'd be pointless. He was not fighting this battle alone – Stefan would make sure of it.

"Alright," Damon sighed in defeat, nodding at his little brother with a grateful look – he knew Stefan was trying to redeem himself for forcing him to become a vampire in the first place. The fact Damon wasn't even _trying_ to stop his brother reflected the gravity of the situation. "Let's end the bitch once for all, and make sure there's no way she can come back this time," he smirked, placing an arm around Stefan's shoulders, giving them an affectionate squeeze.

Bonnie watched them leave, hesitant – she sure as hell didn't want to leave Damon's side. Not when it felt like it could be their final goodbye. Not when she had just recently got him back. She knew they could both end up dead – but what need would she be? She wasn't as powerful as she once had been – she was as human as Stefan now. Yet Stefan was willing to risk his life for Damon. She wanted to as well – but she had promised Damon she wouldn't be that girl again. And she couldn't break this promise to him.

Resigned, Bonnie followed Caroline as she grabbed her hand and rushed them out of the reception room, and off to her car, where the twins had patiently been waiting for their mother and aunt.

After all, Katherine wasn't that redoubtable – they had already killed her once. Why not twice? And Damon always found a way to walk out alive and unharmed – he had a tendency to survive the least expected situations. He'll be fine. He'll fight and win this battle the same way he had done the others. It was Damon – he'd always come back to her.

But as Caroline started the car, and they drove off into the night, Bonnie felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach…

This time, it felt a whole lot like the apocalypse was coming to Mystic Falls – and everyone wouldn't be able to escape in time.

* * *

Elena hadn't woken up. Katherine had pretended to be her - once more. One _final_ time. And here she was, standing in front of them with a satisfied look on her feisty face, in the middle of the Salvatore living-room, as if she owned it.

"Where. Is. She ?!" Damon hissed, taking dangerous steps towards Katherine at every word. She watched him with an amused look, smirking like the evil, manipulative bitch she was…

Hatred was the only emotion visible on Damon's pale face, as he glared at her. As if it was the only thing Katherine could trigger in him now – burning hatred. There was a time when the simple sound of Katherine's name could create goosebumps and intense heat in Damon. She used to be his everything, his passion – his _obsession_. He used to burn for her, used to _live_ for her. A long time ago, Damon swore his heart stopped at the mere sight of the mysterious, beautiful, and charming Katherine Pierce.

But that time was over.

It had been over the moment the desperate Damon he was years ago had realized that Katherine Pierce had never loved him. And ever since, the only thing Katherine Pierce could provoke in him, was the intense, burning desire to kill her, to torment her. And that was exactly what he was planning to do right now.

"Wouldn't you like to know, darling?" Katherine smirked even more, noticing Damon's vengeful expression. "Don't worry, your precious Elena is in a place she loves deeply," the sensuous vampire winked, ignoring Damon's threatening looks as she poured herself a glass of Bourbon. "Now, it doesn't mean it's a _safe_ place, I agree," she shrugged, glancing past Damon's shoulder, at Stefan's worried eyes.

It was impressive, really, how _little_ she knew about Damon – yet how _well_ she could read Stefan. Like an open book.

"Aren't you getting tired of always playing the same games, Katherine?" Stefan frowned, walking next to Damon so he could get a better look at the person who had caused him and his brother so much struggle. "It's getting really pathetic, you know. You not being able to move on from your jealousy and all," he added in an ironic tone, crossing his arms as he watched her leaning against the empty coffin as if it was the most normal thing to do.

"Now, that's funny, Steffy," she laughed evilly, taking a sip from her Bourbon. "Talking about being pathetic and not being able to move on, when you and your brother both dated my dear doppelganger because she looked just like _me_ " she smirked, shamelessly thrusting her empty glass into Damon's hands, as she passed him.

"Let's be realistic for a minute, Salvatores," Katherine smirked, moving like a lioness chasing her prey as she placed herself behind Stefan.

Seductively wrapping her arms around Stefan's neck, the manipulative brunette leant forwards to whisper tentatively into his right ear. Stefan didn't move an inch.

"Me, you, and Damon all know that what you had with Elena can't be gone for good. Your 'epic love' will always leave a trace inside of you, something that you'll never forget. We all know you've never really moved on from her, just like she's never really forgotten about you," she said, before kissing his ear and pulling away from him. "What you two had is – unforgettable, and forever printed into both of your souls," she smirked, moving around so she was facing them both. "Just like _I_ am," she winked, twirling on herself, perfectly-manicured hands placed on each of her hips as she did so.

Then, she turned to Damon. Her black, high heels echoed on the tiled floor as she graciously took several steps towards the black-haired man, her brown curls bouncing in her back. She halted right in front of him, and shamelessly ogled him before sending him her seductive, kitty-like look – but Damon knew it wouldn't be long before her claws came out and the kitty became a tigress again.

Katherine licked her lips in a pleasurable manner, as if she was already savoring the moment she would hurt his feelings and spill some tea.

"As for you, _Damon_ ," the eldest Salvatore noticed the bitterness in her tone as she called him by his first name, when she had addressed Stefan with an irritable, affectionate nickname. "We all know the real reason why you're with Elena. The real reason why you even fell in love with her in the first place," the doppelganger sniggered, staring into Damon's blue eyes without breaking eye contact even for a mere second. "You never got over me. You were obsessed with me when you met her, which is why you were attracted to her in the first place. And even after you realized I never loved you – you still clung onto her because she was just everything I wasn't. Elena Gilbert was everything you ever wanted me to be – she looked just like me, was nice, kind, loving, and forgiving," Katherine smirked, rolling her eyes in annoyance and boredom as she enumerated Elena's supposed qualities on her fingers.

Damon glared at her, but his eyes were unreadable – for once, Katherine, and even Stefan, were unable to see right through him. Something very uncommon, since Damon was known to let every single one of his emotions show in his mesmerizing irises. But as Katherine's hurtful words left her mouth, it was impossible to tell whether the sarcastic vampire agreed or not – in fact, Damon was trying to shut down the voice inside him telling him that Katherine wasn't really wrong, somehow.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Damon smirked, eyes wide as he hid his uncertainty.

Katherine sniggered once more, shaking her head.

"Now, now, Damon, you know denial isn't very healthy," she said calmly. "Just like your relationship with Little Miss Sunshine – well more like Little Miss _Coffin_ now," the brunette corrected herself in a self-amused tone. "Thing is – even after all these years, you're still stuck with my haunting memory, unable to date anyone but a girl who looks just like me, because that's how much effect I have on you," Katherine stated proudly, taking her empty glass back from Damon's hands, and resuming her walk towards the bottle of Bourbon.

She poured herself one more drink, before raising her glass in front of her with a bitchy smirk.

"And every time you look at Elena, no matter how much you claim you love her – I know you see me too. It's unavoidable – we share the same physique," she shrugged carelessly, as if explaining the logic of science. "So as long as you're with her, I'm never going anywhere," she paused dramatically, daring him to try and contradict her.

But Damon said nothing and merely shot daggers at her, Stefan watching him intently.

"So, cheers to you Salvatores, and your undying obsession for me," Katherine chuckled evilly a second later, glass still up in the air, before bringing it down and gulping all the content at once.

"How are you even here?" Damon shook his head in disbelief, trying to forget the truthful ricochet Katherine's words had on him.

"Oh – _Come. On_ ," Katherine rolled her eyes in a disbelieving manner, emphasizing on each word as she poured herself one more glass of Bourbon.

Damon started to wonder whether there was any alcohol at all in Hell, because Katherine seemed very thirsty for it and hadn't stopped drinking ever since they had started their friendly chit-chat.

"I've been ruling Hell ever since I've first arrived in there," she said with a smirk, as if it was the most evident thing in the world. " _I_ am the real Devil," she winked proudly, stepping over to the table to grab an ice cube from the crystal recipient.

"What ?!" Stefan exclaimed, speaking for the first time in what felt like centuries for his older brother.

"I see your brains are still the same – dysfunctional," Katherine raised her eyebrow fiercely, eyeing him with a superior attitude. "Why do you think Cade wanted you? Because _I_ did," she laughed, before carelessly dropping the ice cube into the content of her glass. "Duh," she said in a bitchy tone.

Right at this moment, Stefan crossed the space between him and Katherine and stabbed her in the stomach with the Travelers' Dagger. Katherine gasped in surprise, the glass of Bourbon hitting the floor harshly and breaking into pieces, as she collapsed loudly onto the luxuriously carpeted floor. She hadn't seen that one coming.

Damon gaped at his brother, eyes wide, taken aback. He wasn't expecting his human brother to react so quickly and so efficiently.

"Well done, brother," the blue-eyed vampire grinned, watching Katherine's unconscious body with a look of satisfaction.

"Thanks," Stefan nodded gratefully. "You deal with her and make sure she stays that way. Stab her as many times as you need to with this," he said, handing him the dagger. "I'll get Elena," he added as Damon contemplated the dagger with a sadistic expression.

"Wait, what?" Damon jerked his head, staring at his brother confusingly. "But we don't kn- ", he started.

"I know where Katherine hid her- the high school," Stefan cut him. "I'll see you in a bit, brother," he said, gently hitting his brother's shoulder as a goodbye, before heading for the front door and disappearing before Damon could process what he had just told him.

* * *

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Josie asked her mother, clutching her Teddy Bear against her chest as she looked through the window at the road.

"We're on our way to pick up Daddy at The Armory, baby, and then we'll leave," Caroline calmly answered her daughter, without taking her eyes off the road.

"But why do we need to pick him up and leave Mystic Falls, mommy? And why is Auntie Bonnie coming with us?" Lizzie insisted, backing up her twin sister as she found Josie's question very interesting.

Caroline glanced at Bonnie and threw her a panicked look. She didn't really know what to answer to that – how did you tell three-year-old little girls that they had to leave their home because _hellfire_ was going to destroy it and they could die? Of all the things Caroline had always made sure to be prepared for, this situation wasn't on the list. And it made her nervous – the bubbly vampire hated when she didn't know how to handle something.

"Because something bad is happening back in our home, babies," Caroline managed to say, biting her lips as she tried to find a way to make them understand how serious it was, without scaring them. "Something very dangerous for all of us, that we need to avoid – that is why Auntie Bonnie is coming with us, and Daddy is waiting for us at The Armory," she added, staring at them through the rear-view mirror.

Bonnie nodded at her, silently telling her she had done well. The Bennett witch turned to her nieces and gave them a reassuring smile:

"You don't have to worry – everything's going to be okay," she told them in a soft tone. "I'll teach you some magic tricks on the way, if you're good enough," the brunette winked at them, trying to distract them from this traumatizing event.

The girls squealed happily, but their joy was soon replaced with even more curiosity, as their implacable logic came rushing back to their small – yet already very smart- brains.

"But Uncle Stefan and Uncle Damon are still there, and Uncle Mattie too," Josie frowned, tilting her head to the side as she tried to understand why her uncles would stay behind and not tag along.

Bonnie's face fell at Damon's mention. That was true – here she was, safely seated in a car, driving away from danger, and leaving her best friend to die behind. For sure. There was no way they would survive without any magic.

Right at this moment, Caroline's phone rang in the car, saving Bonnie from the twins' question. The caller ID read "Damon". The two best friends stared at each other, worried, before Caroline answered and transferred the call on the car's menu so she'd be able to keep driving.

"Damon? What happened?" the vampire mom immediately asked, frowning deeply as they waited for a reply.

"Katherine happened," Damon groaned angrily. "She was at the Boarding House when Stefan and I arrived, drinking _my_ Bourbon and acting as she owned _our_ place," he complained loudly, and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure she did something way worse than drinking all your Bourbon supply," Caroline sighed, brushing a nervous hand in her blond hair. "What is it she did this time?" she pressed, biting her lips.

"The bitch took Elena's body away from the coffin and hid her in the higshchool," Damon growled. " _Miss Jealous of The Year_ contest really should exist. Katherine would actually win without needing to cheat for once," he joked sarcastically, bitterness evident in his voice.

"So, what are you going to do?" Bonnie asked apprehensively, frowning worriedly at the caller ID's image. She felt like she wouldn't like it.

"Stefan stabbed her with the Traveler's Dagger, and it seems to work. She's still unconscious and it's been a few minutes," Damon informed her, before continuing in a much more bored tone. "So, I'm going to keep stabbing her until Stefan finds Elena and brings her into a safe place," he said, and Bonnie knew he was trying to avoid an important detail.

"But how much time is it going to take? You're not sure Stefan will find Elena in time, and you'll need to stay with Katherine until he has, to make sure she doesn't escape," Bonnie pointed out, now nervously fiddling with her seatbelt.

"Yep," Damon popped the "p". "Can't let the 'baddest bitch of all' run away for the umpteenth time, can we?" he joked, but Bonnie was able to detect what she recognized as an ounce of fear in his voice.

"But Matt said his mom also told him that hellfire would burn down Mystic Falls at precisely ten p.m. -," she stopped, suddenly realizing what that meant.

"And there she is," Damon exclaimed from the other side of the phone, trying to sound careless. Bonnie's heart hammered alarmingly against her ribcage as she processed the news.

If they didn't manage to find Elena, kill Katherine, and get out of the town before ten p.m.– which, let's be realistic, seemed very unlikely – hellfire would burn down Mystic Falls, and Damon with it.

"No," Bonnie replied sharply, shaking her head vigorously. "There must be another way, I'm not letting you do that," she refused categorically, eyes wide with panic.

"Letting him do what?" Caroline raised a confused eyebrow, not catching up yet since she was focusing on the road.

"Sacrifice himself," Bonnie breathed out, swallowing hard. Caroline gaped at her, then stared at the caller ID in a mixture of disbelief and admiration.

Coming from Damon, Bonnie could understand why it shocked Caroline.

"I'm not letting it happen, Damon. It's too risky, even for you," the brunette beauty stated in a determined tone.

"Don't be silly, Bon. Everything's going to be alright. I thought I was too much of a pain in your ass, anyways," Damon tried to lighten the mood, using humor as a hope to soften her up.

But none of it worked. Bonnie was seconds away from having a panic attack due to the possibility of her best friend dying. After everything they had faced and went through _, now_ was the time Damon decided to be selfless and sacrifice himself for everyone?! When she needed him the most?! No way. It wasn't happening – she wouldn't let it.

"Caroline - stop the car," Bonnie suddenly ordered, serious.

"I'm sorry?" Caroline exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise.

"Stop. The. Car," the Bennett witch repeated, eyes still planted on the caller ID.

"Whoa, whoa. What do you think you're doing, Bon?" Damon's alarmed voice rang in the car, his joking tone resolving into fear and worry.

"I'm coming back to Mystic Falls to help you," Bonnie said in a shaky voice, the fear of possibly losing him detectable in her tone.

"No, you're not," Damon retorted coldly. "Now is not the time to be stupid, Bonnie! You've done enough sacrifices for an entire century already, I'm not letting you die uselessly once more!" he spat, obviously touched by the thought of his best friend coming to his rescue and playing the martyr for the umpteenth time.

"But, I –"Bonnie started angrily, but the stubborn vampire interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

"I said no," he said firmly.

Caroline could make out his heavy breathing; probably from worry, fear and anger, from the other side of the phone. Something which escaped Bonnie's human ears.

"You stick to the plan and get safely to The Armory. Caroline – do not let her out of your sight, and make sure _Miss Wonder Woman_ here stays with you," he continued, deadly serious, and slightly menacing. "Better not find out she ran out on you," Damon warned, thunderous and implacable, before hanging up on them.

Caroline silently ended the call on her phone too, and glanced briefly at a fuming Bonnie. She was stubbornly staring at the horizon, not a word escaping her mouth. She hated the way Damon had just treated her like a weak, defenseless child. As if she hadn't saved his ass a hundred times at least, she snorted angrily to herself. But what she loathed most was being forced to stay here and let him fight this battle alone – without being able to intervene at all. She hated feeling as useless as she felt right now. And she was frightened by the idea of Damon dying alone, away from her, without having the chance to say goodbye.

"I know you probably don't want to hear that right now – but I'm on his side and will do as he said," Caroline informed her calmly, not sounding sorry at all. "I refuse to risk losing you too," she added in a softer voice, before looking away from her best friend to concentrate on the driving again.

Bonnie stayed mute for a few more minutes, then sighed and squeezed Caroline's knee affectionately.

"I understand," she whispered, earning a small smile from the vampire mom.

Little did Caroline know that Bonnie had kept a slight detail to herself – she understood, but she didn't _agree_. She would go back anyway and save the day with Damon, just like old times, because that's what she felt she _had_ to do. Something told her this critical situation might be the key to trigger her magic back.

* * *

Stefan strode along the high school corridors, nervously forcing open every single door he met, head rolling around in every direction and green eyes scanning the room for any sign of Elena. He _knew_ she was there. It was like he was _destined_ to find her – he couldn't be mistaken.

Finally, he reached the high school boiler room, and barged in. Once he spotted Elena's unconscious body spread out on the floor, Stefan froze. He stared at the doppelgänger with a relieved and thankful expression – at least, she was still alive.

"Elena," he whispered, sighing, before crossing the room to join her side.

Stefan kneeled before her, and looked for any bruise or wound, but he found none. Katherine hadn't bothered hurting Elena in any way since she probably thought hellfire would do the job for her by burning her down. She always found something or someone to do the nasty job for her, she hadn't changed one bit.

"Come on, let's get you out of here", the ex-vampire breathed out, grabbing her around her waist and knees to lift her up.

The lack of vampire strength hit him like a ball full force. He realized how weakly human he was now, and told himself he missed that particularly useful supernatural ability, as he felt his muscles tighten from the effort.

Carrying Elena bridal style, Stefan headed for the way out; but he was violently stopped by an invisible barrier which made him bounce back, startled.

"No," he murmured, feeling his heart pounding in anxiety.

Groaning, the young Salvatore tried to force his way out a second time, without success. Then a third – same result. It was like trying to walk through a brick wall.

"Dammit", he sighed, defeated.

Lost, Stefan looked around him, as if a miraculous solution would show up and help him get the hell out of here with Elena in his arms. But the only thing "showing up" was the sound of the clock signaling 9:30 p.m. Half an hour before Mystic Falls was wiped off the map.

* * *

The minute Caroline unbuckled the siphon twins, they leapt out of the car and rushed inside the building, heading straight for their father's waiting arms.

Caroline and Bonnie followed them after taking their stuff from the trunk and locking the car. As they entered the hall, Ric was playing with the girls on one of the luxurious leather couches of The Armory.

"Hey," said Caroline, smiling at Ric while Bonnie nodded at him and put the bags down.

Ric raised his head at the sound of Caroline's soft voice, and jumped up, hurrying towards his daughters' mother to give her a hug.

"Hey," he sighed, gently stroking her back, as if feeling she needed a comforting gesture. "Matt called me and told me everything that happened – are you guys okay?" he asked worryingly, glancing at Bonnie, hands on Caroline's shoulders.

"We're fine," Bonnie gave him a reassuring smile, pulling clothes from her bag.

"I didn't have time to pack any of the stuff the girls had at Mystic Falls, so I'm going to take what they've got here and pack them with my stuff, okay? I'll make sure to pack some things of yours too," Caroline informed Ric, pulling away from his embrace.

"Okay," he nodded, watching as she headed upstairs and disappeared into the dark corridor.

Lost in his thoughts, Ric stared blankly at Lizzie and Josie happily playing with their stuffed animals and Barbie, laughing innocently, completely unaware of the danger looming over them.

"Is there anywhere I can change quickly?" the sound of Bonnie's voice brought him back to his senses, as he heard her ask.

Ric shook his head and tore his eyes away from the twins, directing his gaze towards the young, caramel-skinned woman. That's when he noticed she was still wearing her bridesmaid's dress, and probably needed to change into something more comfortable.

"Of course, Bonnie. Make yourself at home, and choose whichever room you want," he smiled kindly at her.

"Thank you," she smiled back, walking past him and into a closed door not far from the hall, her changing clothes hanging on her left arm.

* * *

A few minutes later, Bonnie came back, dressed in a pair of jeans, tank top and a cardigan. She noticed that the girls were not here anymore, and Ric was drinking a glass of what seemed like whisky, leaning over a table. His face was serious and his eyebrows quirked, studying an old parchment-like piece of paper.

"Where are the girls?" Bonnie asked, stepping closer to him till she reached his level.

"Oh – they are changing into new clothes too with Caroline, upstairs," Ric told her, his eyes not leaving the ancient paper.

"Right," Bonnie nodded, before tilting her head down to take a look at what Ric was examining closely.

Now that she was right next to him, she could see that it was an ancient drawing. Curious, she frowned and raised her head back up to look at Ric:

"What is this?" she asked, gesturing towards the old paper.

"Oh, that is a project on which Dorian and I worked to try and find a way to destroy Cade's Hell", Ric explained to her, looking unconvinced. "We figured we needed a – few million volts – of mystical energy, give or take,"he informed her, defeated as he said so.

There was a silent second, during which Bonnie thought.

"Like the kind of energy contained in hellfire?" she raised a hopeful eyebrow, eyes widening as an idea popped into her mind. Ric froze, his glass centimeters away from his lips, as he realized what she meant.

She had find a way to help Damon, without having to return to Mystic Falls.

* * *

Stefan paced the corridor in front of the boiler room nervously, thinking as hard as he could to find a way to get out with Elena before hellfire burnt the town over. Roaring in frustration after ten fruitless minutes, he angrily punched the wall beside him, groaning in pain when it hit his human fist.

Just then, the familiar ringtone of his phone echoed in the empty hallway, and he pulled it out of his pocket hastily. It was Bonnie. Stefan pressed the "answer" button, and brought the phone to his ear.

"Bonnie? Is something wrong?" he asked in a worried and concerned tone, while keeping an eye on Elena's unconscious body in the boiler room in front of him.

"Listen Stefan – I know I've been hard on you, but I know you're ready to do anything to save this town, just like I am," Bonnie started in a rapid voice. "Am I right?" she pressed.

"Yeah – of course, Bonnie," the ex-vampire replied in a curious and uncertain voice now, frowning deeply as he listened to her.

"Okay," he heard her sigh in relief. "Then, I think I've got a plan," she blurted out, before explaining to him what it consisted in.

"I'm in", Stefan answered after she was done, rubbing his forehead tiringly as he processed what he was about to do. "Hey, Bonnie – be careful, okay?" he added before she could end the call.

"I will," she said. "You're a good man, Stefan. Thank you for everything," she continued, before hanging up.

Stefan put his phone back into his pocket, and entered the boiler room for a second time. Bending down, he tenderly stroked Elena's cheek, and kissed her forehead in an affectionate manner.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, closing his eyes to stop the tears from falling. "I hope you live a wonderful, happy life, Elena. See you in a few years," he told her sleeping form, before standing up and walking out of the room.

Taking one last look at Elena's unconscious body, Stefan took a deep breath and headed out of the high school – he had a meeting with Death.

* * *

Caroline and the girls ran back downstairs, respectively carrying their bags and toys. Once the girls reached their father, he handed them their coats, and watched them put them on.

"Okay girls. Go into the car, mommy's joining us in a few minutes," Ric told them, and the Gemini twins happily obliged, running again towards the front door and hopping into the car like overexcited rabbits.

Caroline approached the two adults, and handed the bags to Alaric as he extended his hands for her to do so. Frowning, the bubbly blond immediately felt like something was wrong, and turned to Bonnie.

"Bon, is something wr- "she started, but Ric cut her off, a somber expression on his face.

"The plan has changed," he informed her, avoiding her curious and fearful eyes. "I'll tell you everything in a few minutes, but we need to go now," he said, meeting Bonnie's knowing look. "Come on, get into the car," Ric insisted, heading towards the door.

But Caroline didn't move, and looked around with wide eyes.

"Why isn't your bag in the car? What about Damon and Stefan – any news from them?" she settled her scared face on Bonnie, silently pleading her to give her answers.

But Bonnie couldn't be the one to tell her. She contented herself with a convincing summary.

"I'm going to save the world – and you need to get in that car, and drive away," Bonnie told her best friend, a genuine, concerned expression on her mocha-skinned face.

"But – Bonnie, I- "the blond stammered, frowning in confusion and fright. "Damon _refused_ to let you put yourself in danger, and I promised him to keep you safe with me. And I told you I agreed with him. So, whatever you've come up with, I- "

"Caroline, quick! I'm sorry, but we have to go!" Rick's impatient voice rang from the hallway, urging her on.

"Caroline – I'll be safe. I'm a Bennett witch – it's my job to save the day and protect innocent people," the brunette smiled at her, sounding pretty confident.

"Wait – you mean you've got your powers back?" Caroline gaped. "But- how?" she questioned, confused and overtaken by events.

"Rick will fill you in. Let's just say my nieces are geniuses," the Bennett witch told her, winking.

Caroline frowned again, puzzled. But her best friend spoke up before she could utter a single word – time was precious and they had already lost a lot of it.

"I love you," Bonnie said, pulling the blond vampire into a tight embrace to stop her best friend from replying and asking more questions.

Caroline sighed deeply, squeezing her into her arms. It seemed like she didn't have a choice – she just hoped Bonnie knew what she was doing.

"Just – don't do anything stupid, Bonnie Bennett," she warned, her doubtful voice muffled into Bonnie's shoulder.

"I'll be fine," Bonnie reassured her, pulling away from their hug to face Caroline. "Promise," she said, staring at her.

Nodding, Caroline gave her an unsure, small smile, before reluctantly making her way to the car. Bonnie watched her with determined eyes.

Now – she needed to prepare herself for the big battle, and make sure Damon was safe when the game would be on. Hopefully Stefan had been efficient. She hadn't lied – Bonnie wouldn't let her best friend die, no matter what he thought or said.

Saving him, making sure he survived was like an emotional urgency. It felt like a burning need growing in the pit of her stomach and expanding in the depth of her heart. That's when Bonnie remembered Elena's mysterious words _\- "And you should do that too – analyze your life and your feelings. I think you'd be very surprised by what you'd find."_

Her best friend's words now became clearer, as well as their meaning. Was it the apocalyptic situation which made Bonnie realize what she had previously been too blind to see? Maybe. But one thing was sure – she knew that what she felt was true, pure, and strong.

For the first time, as the stubborn witch mentally prepared herself for the fight of her life, she realized she was in love with Damon Salvatore.

* * *

 ***** TO BE CONTINUED *****

 _ **Hey ! So, here's the first part of the TVD finale rewriting I undertook. As you read, I erased some scenes, modified others and added new ones. I tried to make them short, to keep this TV Show dynamic you have when watching an episode, but not sure I did very well... Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. There isn't much Bamon for now, but that is because I also need to take into account the other events and chacters' storylines that happened. However, there will be more Bamon in the second part.  
**_

 _ **Tell me what you think, in all honesty, I'm all ears. I hope you enjoyed it,**_

 _ ***** REVIEWS ALWAYS MUCH APPRECIATED *****_

 _ **KatemonLazuli**_


	2. Chapter 2

Damon sat in an armchair in front of the fireplace, Katherine's lifeless body spread out at his feet. He was contemplating the flames crackling in the hearth with thinking eyes, holding a glass of Bourbon and occasionally taking a sip from it.

Fire. This one natural element that could kill him so easily, yet wasn't dangerous at all in this situation. It melted the wood - another possible anti-vampire weapon if it was carved into a stake – and warmed the living room just like he liked it. Right now, fire and wood had never been as meaningless and harmless. Danger didn't come from them anymore – it came from Mystic Falls itself. It came from Hellfire. It came, once more, from _Katherine Pierce_.

His gaze drifted to the Petrova doppelganger lying on his living-room floor like a helpless puppet. He snorted to himself – the contrast was appealing, really. Katerina Petrova; the endless Survivor, the Baddest Bitch of all time, the manipulative, fearless, tantalizer – rendered weak as ever, completely innocent and powerless at the feet of the one she had so greedily tortured and hurt for centuries. Damon's mouth curled – how satisfyingly _pleasant_ and liberating it would be to just throw her old, wrinkled bitchy ass into the fire! Alas, only the dagger could guarantee that Miss Public Nuisance stayed dead for a reasonable amount of time.

Right on cue, the brown-eyed brunette opened her eyes in a gasp, coming back from the dead. Damon groaned disappointingly. He should have expected it, it had already been half an hour without her annoying, shrieking voice ringing in his sensitive ears. Dead or alive, she always seemed to find the _exact_ right time to come back and annoy him.

"Why hello there, Cruella Devil," Damon smirked, sipping from his bourbon and waving his free hand at her glaring face.

" _Oh gosh_. It's like being forced to listen to a grandpa trying to make funny jokes – except none of them are _actually_ laughable," Katherine rolled her eyes as she sat up on the floor, not missing Damon's subtle pun on the word "Devil".

The vampire shrugged carelessly, watching her closely as he twisted the Traveler's Dagger in his hands, enjoying the satisfaction and pleasure he felt from owning it. Katherine eyed it with a hateful look – the eternal, selfish survivor that she was _loathed_ anything that could hurt her and make her vulnerable in the slightest.

"Where's Steffy?" Katherine asked in a kitty-like voice, standing up and leaning against the fireplace as she rested her feline eyes on her ex-lover.

"Searching for Elena, obviously," Damon answered with a smirk, looking up at her. "You know - your dear, kind, loveable twin that everyone would choose over your rusted self," he added with cruel, twinkling eyes, knowing it would infuriate her.

Katherine's devilish smirk immediately fell, and her face twisted into an angry expression, her eyes shooting daggers at him. Damon merely smiled at her, enjoying the fact he had hurt her. But the implacable temptress quickly picked herself up and started playing with a strand of her hair.

"Well, good luck with that. He may be able to find her, but as for getting her out of wherever she is…," Katherine tempted, smirking as Damon stopped playing with the dagger and glared at her.

"What do you mean, Katherine? What did you do?" he spat, menacing as he stood up to walk toward her.

"Well, let's see," she said, looking at the ceiling before raising one finger. "I met Kai Parker in Hell. Nice, crazy, little munchkin with a very appreciable twisted mind," she winked, watching as Damon's eyes widened at the mention of the Gemini siphon. "I made a deal with him," she raised another finger under Damon's hateful stare. "He got out from hell," she raised a third finger in front of him. "He performed a handy spell which would trap Elena in the place I'd choose to hide her in," another finger, "Kai got stuck again in a Prison World by little Bon-Bon. Thanks to her I didn't have to complete my part of the deal," she poked her fourth-finger in his chest, earning a threatening grunt from Damon as he violently pulled it off him. Katherine smirked. "And then Kelly and Vicki freed me from Hell, and I came back to hide little Elena where I had planned since the beginning," she finished, her whole hand now raised in front of him as she added the last finger.

In a second, Damon had her pinned against a wall, hand around her throat.

"You have no idea the things I'm about to do to you with that dagger, Kitty Kat," he growled, tightening his hold around her.

"Oh, but I do –I taught you well, didn't I?" Katherine chocked, but it didn't seem to bother her as she smirked knowingly.

Just as Damon was about to reply, his cellphone rang. He snarled at Katherine, and safely keeping a firm hold around her throat, pulled it out of his jeans pocket. The caller ID read "Feisty Bon Bon".

"Bon Bon," he answered in a suddenly cheerful tone, grinning. "Miss me?" he teased her, pressing his hand harder on Katherine's throat as she rolled her eyes in a bored way.

"I have a plan," Bonnie told him straightforwardly, ignoring his teasing.

Damon's face turned paler than usual – he had _specifically_ told her that he refused her help. He didn't want her to put herself in danger. He had told her not to try and find a way to help him. And knowing his stubborn best friend, she had done it anyway. Damon sighed deeply, still immobilizing Katherine's annoying, squirming figure as he swallowed the scared lump which had formed in his throat at Bonnie's words.

"No, listen Bon, I told you not to – "but the Bennett beauty interrupted him before he could try to persuade her to abandon the idea of her plan.

"No _, you_ listen, Damon," she replied feistily. "I told you I'm not letting you die in there," Bonnie stated sharply, sounding determined. "Besides, you didn't let me finish. My plan won't need me to come back to Mystic Falls," she said.

Katherine stopped squirming and frowned worryingly – what was the useless Bennett witch talking about? She watched with sudden fearful eyes as Damon raised his eyebrows, interested.

"That deserves discussing," the eldest Salvatore answered after a few silent seconds of hesitation. "Wait a minute," he told Bonnie, carefully placing his phone between his ear and shoulder.

He tried to keep it as steady as possible as he used his now free hand to grab the dagger hanging from his belt, still holding Katherine in place with the other one. The latter coughed loudly, unable to speak as she watched him with suspicious eyes.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Bonnie wondered curiously on the other side of the phone, as she picked up Katherine's muffled choking.

"I need to get rid of undesirable, nasty, little bitchy ears before we continue that conversation," Damon answered sarcastically, and Katherine's eyes widened in comprehension as he thrust the dagger into her stomach.

She fell loudly onto the cold floor, once more unconscious. But only for about half an hour. Damon looked at her dead frame, before bending down to clean up the dagger with the sleeve of her jacket. He picked up the phone and pressed it back against his ear, admiring his work with a joyful expression.

"What was _that_?" Bonnie asked suspiciously, having heard the loud "thump" of Katherine's body hitting the floor.

"Oh. Nothing important – just an ancient, once valuable fossil of Stefan's that fell from the shelf," Damon shrugged, even though Bonnie couldn't see him. She snorted. "Now, tell me about that plan, Bon Bon," he insisted, throwing himself in the same previous armchair, so he could still keep an eye on Katherine while listening to his best friend.

* * *

Something was wrong. Caroline could tell. Ric was uselessly and nervously checking several times in the outside rear-view mirrors as they drove on the highway, even though they were the only ones on the road at this moment. They had agreed to go back to Dallas, find a nice hotel to stay in once they'd have arrived, and then go from there according to how things went in Mystic Falls.

The girls were fast asleep in the back, holding their teddy bear close to their chest. Ric hadn't told her what all this thing with Bonnie was about yet. They had been driving for about twenty minutes, and he hadn't mentioned it. Something told her he was avoiding talking about it on purpose, which didn't soothe Caroline's worries at all. It meant this "change of plan" Ric and Bonnie had rapidly told her about, without bothering to explain it to her, wasn't harmless. But again, she hadn't asked him what it exactly consisted in either.

Unable to wonder any longer, Caroline took a deep breath and turned to Ric:

"Tell me what's the new plan, Ric," she demanded in a firm tone. "I want to know why Bonnie didn't come with us, and why we didn't need to make a quick stop at Mystic Fall's boundary to pick up Stefan and Elena," the blue-eyed girl continued.

Ric sighed deeply, his eyes not leaving the road ahead of him as Caroline kept staring at him with a worried face. He reached for his pocket and held out his phone to her, still not looking at her. She could tell he was afraid of her reaction. He didn't want to see the pain in her usually cheerful eyes once she heard the news.

"I think it's best if you call Stefan. He should be the one to tell you," Ric told her gravely, quickly glancing at her from the corner of his eyes as he watched her frown and take the phone.

Hesitantly, Caroline scrolled up the list of numbers and hit the young Salvatore's one. Stefan answered after a few seconds. Ric could make out his surprised tone through the phone when Caroline's voice spoke to him.

"Caroline? Why are you calling, is everything okay?" Stefan asked her worryingly, and Ric couldn't help thinking how good he was at hiding things.

"I don't know, _you_ tell me," the blond retorted, raising an angry eyebrow. "Are you hiding something from me, Stefan? Because I know the plan has changed, but I don't know what it consists in exactly – and Ric seems to think that _you_ should be the one explaining it to me," she exploded, losing her nerves from the anxiety and worry she was feeling ever since she had left The Armory.

"Care…," Stefan sighed, and it was easy for Caroline to picture him rubbing his forehead uncertainly, lost in what he was supposed to do. "I'm so sorry," her boyfriend whispered weakly, thinking it was the best way to start.

Noticing the desperate, guilty, sad tone in his voice, Caroline's heartbeat quickened. Something was _really_ wrong. She was starting to realize how _bad_ it seemed all of a sudden…

"Stefan –What. Is. The. Plan?" Caroline asked for the umpteenth time, it seemed to her, in an unusual, striking, cold voice.

There was a dreadful silence from the other side of the phone for a long moment. But finally, after taking a deep breath to gather enough courage for what was to come, Stefan started relating the plan Bonnie had explained to him through the phone.

* * *

"Well, basically – I'm going to draw hellfire away from the town using the tunnels. And then I'll send it straight back to Hell, which will destroy it for good," Bonnie summarized the plan to her best friend, matter-of-factly.

Damon's eyes bulged. He gaped for several seconds, processing what his little Bennett witch had just told him. It seemed utterly and completely crazy to him, but most of all – damn right _impossible_ to do. Once his brain functioned again and his senses had come back to him, Damon closed his mouth and proceeded to scold his best friend for even thinking a second that it was a _safe_ plan:

"Bon – _have you lost your damn mind ?!_ " the vampire let out a throaty laugh. "How the _hell_ do you think you can possibly do that? We're talking about Hellfire – so intense it can obliterate anything within _miles_!" he exclaimed, shaking his head as his mind pictured Bonnie struggling with it.

There was no way he was letting her do it – it was way too risky. She was too important to him to overlook the consequences of such a plan. She would _definitely_ be able to live without him if he died – but _he_ wouldn't be able to live without her. He was too far gone in selfishness and impulsivity to be able to control the amount of grief, guilt, and pain he would feel if she was to die.

"I know," Bonne said in a calm tone. "Except there's a way around that. Did you know that the tunnels go from The Armory straight to the heart of downtown Mystic Falls?" she asked proudly, and Damon could actually hear her smirk.

"No, I didn't," the sarcastic Salvatore admitted, raising a surprised eyebrow at the information. "But I still don't see how – "

"Let me finish, will you?" Bonnie interrupted him, annoyed.

Damon knew she had just rolled her eyes at him in this exasperated way he loved so much. He smirked knowingly, and kept his mouth shut. Once she was sure he wouldn't interrupt her again, Bonnie continued.

"Katherine will have to be taken to the crypt, where you'll make sure she gets sent back to Hell by throwing her in Hellfire the minute it appears. Meanwhile, I'll be performing a spell to draw it to the tunnels of The Armory – you'll have exactly ten seconds to send her through Hellfire once it blows up, before it gets sucked back to The Armory. And then you speed away," Bonnie explained carefully, purposely avoiding a few important details that she obviously didn't want Damon to know about.

He _had_ to think he'd be the one to stay with Katherine and that there was no risk as long as she performed the spell on time – it was better this way. Otherwise, he would never accept the plan. She could tell he was already more than doubtful and wasn't really buying it.

"It seems sketchy, Bon. What if we're not synchronized on time and Hellfire kills both _me_ and Katherine before you draw it back to The Armory?" Damon retorted, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think about every single thing that could go wrong in that plan.

Unfortunately, there were too many. And he felt like Bonnie wasn't telling him everything. It seemed extremely unlikely to him that Bonnie would be able to draw hellfire back to The Armory right before it killed him too.

He heard Bonnie swallowing hard before she formed an answer:

"Trust me, Damon. I told you – I've got my powers back, and I feel like I'm way more powerful than before. More than I've ever been," she stated passionately, causing a feeling of pride to overwhelm him.

"It's not about your powers, Bon. Hell, I know you're powerful enough! You're actually the most powerful Bennett witch I've met in my entire life, even better than Emily," Damon told her sincerely, his voice full of admiration and acknowledgement.

Bonnie grinned like a kid discovering their Easter chocolates hidden in the garden at his words. It felt good to hear someone say that, especially Damon. Her best friend – the one who kept telling her she would never be as powerful as Emily Bennett a long time ago.

"But thing is – no witch whatsoever has ever been able to fight something this huge _alone_ ," he stated in a desperate, fearful tone. "And I'm not risking losing you," Damon added lovingly, almost as a whisper.

"Well I'll be risking losing _you_ if I don't try anything to stop it. And this isn't an option for me either – so we've got a problem here," Bonnie mirrored his words, just as passionately.

This tingling sensation which kept appearing whenever Bonnie spoke highly of or affectionately about him crept inside his being, sending waves of warmth and love throughout his entire body and soul, ricocheting on his cold, dead heart.

Damon contemplated the idea for several seconds, clutching the phone to his ear as he listened to Bonnie's calming breath , who was waiting patiently for his reply on the other hand of the phone. Finally, judging that they didn't have anything more to lose after all; and that the situation was critical enough to call for drastic measures, Damon sighed deeply.

"Fine," he breathed out reluctantly. "But I need you to promise me something before," Damon insisted, not backing away from his protective behavior toward Bonnie.

"What?" Bonnie asked softly, relieved to hear that he had accepted her plan.

At least, she knew _he_ would be safe and sound. Even though he didn't know that – yet.

"I want you to promise me that you'll stop performing the spell the minute _one_ drop of blood falls from your nose. I want you to _swear_ you won't keep performing it if you feel like you're losing strength and won't be able to make it out alive," Damon declared solemnly, listening closely as Bonnie bit her lip.

"Okay. I promise," she swore after a few seconds.

"Good. I'll see you soon, then. And I'll be haunting you every second of your life if I die and learn you broke your promise, Bon Bon," Damon smirked, trying to lighten the mood after this serious conversation.

"I'll just send your ass back to Hell," Bonnie deadpanned fiercely, and he could feel her smirking too.

Just as she was about to hang up, Damon half-yelled to her:

"Wait! Just – be careful, Bon. I mean it," he told her, frowning deeply, voice full of concern.

"I will. And you too," Bonnie returned with the same tone. "See you soon, Damon," she told him before hanging up.

* * *

Bonnie let out a long, trembling breath after hanging up from her phone call with Damon.

She hated lying to him – it felt wrong and incredibly unpleasant. But she had no choice. He had to believe that he would be the one to carry out the plan, so he wouldn't get suspicious of anything. Plus, she couldn't be the one to tell him the truth, especially about Stefan. She wouldn't bear witnessing Damon's soul and heart break at the revelation of Stefan's role in their plan. It was too much for her.

The young witch's heart clenched at the thought of Stefan. She wondered whether Caroline was aware of their plan now, whether Ric had found the courage to tell her what it really consisted in. She felt greatly sorry and grief-stricken for Caroline – and for Stefan. She knew her best friend would be devastated, and she couldn't help feeling guilty. She was responsible, in some way, for Caroline's future grief. She had been the one to call Stefan, and she hadn't told Caroline any of it. But again, she had given Stefan the choice to refuse – and he hadn't.

But she couldn't think about that right now – she had to get ready. She hoped Caroline and Damon wouldn't be mad at her for the rest of her life, though they would have rightful reasons to be. After all, she had sacrificed so many things for them herself, and they knew she wouldn't have done such a thing if there was another option. But there wasn't. Mystic Falls was hit by the apocalypse, and she had to act as fast as possible, by protecting the people she loved most. If anyone could understand her motive, it was them. Caroline had chosen to run away with her kids and ex-fiancé to protect her family – and she had been right, the girls needed their mother and father; Matt had chosen to stay at Mystic Falls to make sure the inhabitants all got to safety, and Damon had chosen to stay too and fight for all of them even though it meant dying by Katherine's sides.

Well, _she_ had chosen not to flee, and save the people she loved – and Stefan had chosen to join her.

Bonnie reached for her bag, and fumbled through it. Her hands closed on a familiar, ancient book which she pulled out carefully. Her Grams' grimoire. The most precious object she possessed – along with Damon's letter, that she had put back into his favorite book after he had recited it to her.

The brunette softly brushed her fingers against the fragile cover of the grimoire, smiling to herself as she remembered the first time Sheila Bennett had shown it to her. Then, she closed her eyes, emptied her spirit and proceeded to fill her mind with memories of her grandmother.

"I need you to help me, Grams," Bonnie whispered gently, keeping her eyes closed as the face of Sheila Bennett invaded them.

After a few silent seconds, the grimoire suddenly flew open, and Bonnie felt its pages turning by themselves under her small fingers. She opened her eyes, and saw that it had stopped on a specific page, on which a spell she had never used before was written in ancient, Latin letters.

"Thank you," she breathed out, grinning to the air.

Not wasting a single second, Bonnie read it once, very carefully, and started to recite it several times. As she repeated the spell again and again, she felt a warm, reassuring presence embrace her – and it had never seemed so easy to learn a spell.

Sheila Bennett would always watch over her granddaughter - apocalypse or not.

* * *

Tears cascaded down Caroline's pale face as Stefan explained the plan to her.

Everything around her did not matter anymore – she could barely see the road in front of her, her eyes blurry from the tears inside them; nor hear her daughters worryingly calling her name as they woke up to see their mother crying. She wasn't even listening to Stefan's words anymore – he sounded like a distant voice already, a voice she would never get to hear ever again if he carried out the plan.

All she could feel was pain, anger, helplessness – and _abandon_. He was leaving her. He was _purposefully_ leaving her. He had _willingly_ chosen to abandon her.

"Caroline, please – say something," Stefan's cracked voice pleaded on the other side of the phone.

But she couldn't. She had lost her voice. She didn't know how to speak anymore. All she knew now was suffering and madness.

The girls behind her kept yelling her name, and Ric was trying to get them to calm down. She knew it because she saw them in the rear-view mirror – not because she heard them. She couldn't hear them.

"I'm so sorry, Care – please, talk to me. I love you," her husband's desperate, tearful voice rang into her ear, breaking her heart with each syllable he pronounced.

It was the only thing she could hear – his voice. It had come back now. As if her brain knew it was the most urgent thing she needed to hear right now, because she wouldn't get to hear it again in the future.

After a long, silent moment, Caroline came back to her senses. She had to say something. She needed to. It was the last time she would talk to him – she couldn't let him go like this. She wouldn't bear it. She couldn't be mad at him the last time they talked.

"I understand," her broken voice told him weakly.

The girls had stopped screaming her name. Ric was still looking at the road, stubbornly resolute to avoid her heart-breaking gaze. She knew it was because he felt guilty – he had known about the plan ever since Bonnie had told him. Bonnie – she might also lose her, her best friend…

"You do?" Stefan asked doubtfully, his voice still trembling from emotion. "I don't want to – I don't want to leave you, Caroline. I'm not abandoning you, but – but I have to do this," he continued, and the vampire mom closed her eyes.

"I know, I – I get it," she whispered, panting as her cries shook her. "Family first," she let out in a quavering voice.

"Family first," Stefan repeated softly, heartbroken. "You're an amazing mother, Care. And a – a wonderful wife," he forced his voice to stay steady as tears ran down his cheeks.

Caroline nodded to herself, crying uncontrollably while trying to contain herself for the sake of her daughters, who were looking at her back with tears in their eyes, confused.

"I just – I – I never wanted – "the blond sobbed, unable to form a coherent sentence as images of a dead Stefan overwhelmed her. "I never thought it would end like this. I thought we'd get to spend a lifetime together – and – and I would have found a way to age with you, and – and we would watch our children, and gr-grandchildren growing up, bef-before dying together surrounded by our fr-friends and family," she mumbled, shaken, tears rolling and rolling along her cheeks, dropping on her jeans and creating wet holes on them.

"I know, and I would have loved that, baby –" he stopped, swallowing the lump in his throat. He took several seconds to pull himself together. "But I need to do this – I owe it to Bonnie and Enzo. And to Mystic Falls. I – I'm so sorry," he repeated.

"Don't be. At least we got our June wedding," Caroline forced herself to smile through her tearful blue yes, her dry throat hurting from crying so much, and her heart feeling like it weighed the whole misery of the world.

Stefan managed a broken laugh. She could feel that it was the end – they would part forever.

"And what a wonderful wedding," Stefan breathed out in a calming voice. "You're the best thing that happened to me, Caroline. And I'll always be grateful to be your husband. Remember that, please," he confessed in a soothing tone, as if he had to make sure she knew that before leaving this world for good.

Caroline sniffed, trying to wipe the tears off herself but it was no use – they were unstoppable. They were eternal. Just like her love for him. He needed to know that.

"I will," her voice broke once more. It was getting harder and harder to talk now. "I will always love you, Stefan," she said in a last, desperate whisper.

"I will always love you too – for eternity," Stefan returned passionately, and she could hear his breathing. One last time.

She enjoyed the sound of his lungs sucking the air in and out, thanked her vampirism a thousand times in her head for this, and listened lovingly, and heartbreakingly to his heartbeat. One last time.

"For eternity," her reply came weakly, and Stefan almost didn't hear it.

And then he hung up. Caroline clutched the phone to her ear, hoping to hear his calming voice again. But she knew it was over. She stayed like that for a long, silent moment, before finally lowering her arm. The phone fell from her hand, onto the floor - and she embraced her pain.

And she cried. She wept hysterically, shaking uncontrollably as the absence of Stefan hit her like a slap in the face. Like a wave of misery. She cried her eyes out, aware of the sound of her heart hammering against her ribcage, as if reaching for Stefan's – except it couldn't find it. It wouldn't find it anymore.

Ric did not move. He listened to her crying, to her mourning, his eyes planted on the road. He knew she needed that – she needed to let her emotions out, everything she felt.

And they drove on - Ric as silent as a tomb, the twins silently crying in the backseats though they didn't know why, Caroline shaking and weeping like she never did before, getting further and further away from Mystic Falls – away from Stefan.

* * *

Stefan stood in front of the entrance of the familiar crypt. He was thinking. Reflecting on what he was about to do, what was waiting for him behind these walls – what he was leaving behind, unaware of what was waiting for him after death.

He thought about Caroline. He recalled their heartbreaking conversation on the phone, the sound of her crying. He had pictured her broken face as they cried and said their final goodbye to each other. But he had to focus on his mission.

Taking a deep, unsure breath, Stefan stepped inside the crypt. He could hear Katherine's voice echoing through the walls, meaning she was awake again. But he assumed she couldn't move or flee, otherwise she would already be standing in front of him with her famous, signature smirk.

Now close to where they were, Stefan picked up Damon's sarcastic laugh. And within a few seconds, he was in front of him.

"Stefan?" Katherine's scowling face fell off, now twisting into a surprised frown.

"Hello again, Katherine," Stefan nodded to her impassively.

Damon stared at him, flabbergasted. He looked him up and down, confused, before saying:

"What the hell are you doing here, Stefan?!" he exclaimed, eyes widening. "I got this handled, bro! You need to get out of these tunnels!" Damon's panicked voice resonated into the silent vault.

"I'm not the one who's going to get out of here, Damon," Stefan retorted determinedly, shoulders held high as if daring his older brother to try and stop him. " _You_ are," he pressed.

"Bad time to be a martyr, Stefan," Damon replied sarcastically, eyebrows quirked in worry as he threw his hands in the air in fake annoyance.

"Say the martyr," Stefan deadpanned, serious. He put his hands into his pockets.

Katherine, who was between the two brothers, frowned before looking at each of them.

"I'm going to let you two figure this out," she nodded to herself, winking. "Amongst yourselves," the doppelgänger added, turning to walk toward the exit. This confusing situation was her only chance to escape.

But Damon threw the dagger in her direction, hitting her in the middle of the back before she could even reach Stefan. Katherine gulped, sucked her lip in resignation and fell to the ground - in the less gracious way she had managed so far. She had felt this one coming, though...

"Now – we can discuss," Damon carelessly stepped over Katherine's body to stand in front of his little brother. His hands were clenched into fists – a sign of anger and nervosity.

"There's nothing to discuss – I'm staying," Stefan cut him before he could say anything else. The fact Stefan was standing there, nonchalantly, unnerved him even more.

"Don't start playing this game with me, Stefan!" Damon raised his voice, anxiety making its way through his heart – he _knew_ something was wrong. "What are you really doing here?" he demanded, almost growling.

"I'm saving you. I'm sacrificing myself, because that's what I need to do – and because I don't want to lose you," Stefan answered, keeping a straight face as he did so.

He knew his brother wouldn't accept this. But he wouldn't have a choice, this time.

"And you think _I_ want to lose _you_?!" Damon yelled back, his face contorting into anger and fear. "No way, Stefan. Do you hear me? No. Way," he paced in front of his brother, stopping so close to him Stefan could feel his breath on his face.

Stefan knew he was trying to intimidate him – but it wasn't working. Not anymore. No one could make him change his opinion. His decision was taken. There was no going back.

"I need to do this, Damon," Stefan ignored his menacing attitude, not backing away from him one inch. "I owe it to Bonnie and Enzo – I owe it to a lot of people," he said, looking down for a second before lifting his head back up.

Damon blinked at him. There was something he wasn't understanding. Something he felt we had hidden from him.

"I'm not going to live you to die here, Stefan," he hissed, fury in his eyes. His hands were trembling from the intensity of the moment.

"You have people to stay alive for, Damon," Stefan told him, planting his bright green eyes into his stubborn brother's blue ones. "Elena, Ric – _Bonnie_ …" he enumerated, watching as the sarcastic vampire softened at the last one.

Damon didn't miss the way Stefan emphasized on the latter. But now was not the time to question that. There was no way he would let his little brother die – not after he had spent his whole life trying to protect him from harm, no matter how fucked up their relationship was.

"You have people to stay alive for _too_ , Stefan – Caroline should be the first person to come to your mind, right now," Damon roared, intentionally using Caroline to cause a reaction from his brother. It was low, but it could work.

"Caroline knows what I'm doing," Stefan swallowed hard. "And after all the things I've done – I deserve it," he added, ashamed.

"Are you serious right now?! Are you really going to stand here and argue with me about who deserves redemption more than the other one?!" Damon screamed in disbelief, starting to lose his nerves. His arms were flying everywhere, not knowing what to do to make his brother change his mind.

He wasn't controlling anything anymore and he loathed it. Why was Stefan here in the first place? Something was not right. Something was not right with the plan.

"Why are you even here? How do you know about the plan?" Damon yelled furiously, slowly understanding that his little brother was gaining time and hiding something important from him.

"Because _I'm_ part of the plan," Stefan revealed, watching as Damon gaped at him.

"You – _what_?" Damon stumbled, frowning as he backed away from his brother in surprise.

And then it hit him. _Bonnie_ – she hadn't told him the truth. She hadn't told him the true plan. He should've known it couldn't be that easy. He should've known something had to go wrong.

"No," he whispered. "No, no, no" he shook his head hysterically.

Stefan looked at him, silent. He didn't really have anything to say. Except these words:

"I'm sorry, Damon. But I have to do it. I love you, brother," Stefan confessed in a cracked voice, tears forming in his eyes.

Damon was still shaking his head in denial, but he stopped at Stefan's powerful words. His throat was as dry as a desert. He had never found it hard to breathe in his entire vampire existence – but right now it seemed like he had no lungs. It felt like his heart was _actually_ breaking – he was certain he would find it smashed into pieces if he thrust his hand inside his ribcage.

"Don't. Say. That," Damon growled. "I've watched you suffer for my whole life, before you finally found happiness. I've made it my life goal to protect you at all cost, because I'm your big brother and that's my job," he started passionately, his eyes flickering with different emotions as Stefan listened carefully. "I'm not going to stop now. I've got countless things to make up for, and hurting you is on top of my list. So, no. I'm not abandoning you here tonight, brother. Because I love you too," he returned, fixing him with a heartbroken, genuine look.

Damon swallowed, panting, holding back his tears. Stefan nodded, a tear rolling on his cheek. He opened his arms, and hugged Damon as tightly as he could. Damon stayed still for a few seconds, uncertain of how to react, before bringing his own arms around his brother and squeezing him. They stayed like that for a long minute.

And then:

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, brother," Stefan whispered sadly, before jabbing a vervained needle into Damon's neck.

He watched, sorry, as his brother fell to the ground. He hadn't been able to see his reaction – but he didn't want to imagine it. It was already hard enough.

Stefan stood there, eyes planted on his brother's momentarily lifeless body. Tears were running down his cheeks. But he knew he had made the right choice. And he didn't regret it. Now, it was Bonnie's turn – and he hoped she'd be alright. Everything depended on her now – the fate of an entire city and more.

And suddenly, Damon's body had disappeared. The ground was empty – it was time.

* * *

Bonnie sat cross-legged on the edge of one of the beds in The Armory's protected cells. She was focused, eyes closed and hands joined together as she whispered Latin words over and over again.

Then, out of nowhere, Damon's body materialized behind her – and Bonnie's green eyes jerked open. She turned her head, and saw Damon's lifeless body lying, safe and sound, on the bed. She smiled to herself – she had succeeded in this one, at least.

Bonnie untangled her legs, and climbed down the bed. She walked toward an ancient-like chest of drawers on the left side, from which she pulled out a grey blanket. Still not sparing Damon a glance, the Bennett witch crossed the room and stopped in front of a wooden desk. She hung the blanket on the chair.

She picked up the knife and glass that were placed on top of the desk, and took a deep breath. Holding the glass in her right hand, Bonnie slashed her wrist open with her left hand. She winced, and set the knife back down. She passed the glass in her left hand, and held up her right, cut wrist above it. Once she was satisfied with the quantity of blood that had dropped in it, the young woman placed the glass on the desk again. She opened a drawer, took out a roll of bandage and wrapped it around her wounded wrist, before cutting the extra band off and putting it back inside the drawer.

Then, the brunette beauty brought everything back with her as she crossed the room to stand beside Damon's bed. She put the glass of blood down on the bedside table next to him, and covered her best friend with the blanket. She knew it was completely unnecessary – vampires were never cold. But it was a way of making it up to him, because she felt guilty for what she had done with Stefan. At least, when he'd wake up, he'd see she took care of him.

Sighing, Bonnie stepped back and observed him lovingly. He was momentarily dead – she knew that. But right now, it seemed more like he was deeply asleep. The baby blue eyes that she loved so much and found mesmerizing were closed on his soft, pale face, hidden behind his eyelids. His long, dark eyelashes were immobile. She didn't seem to realize what she was doing as she kept contemplating Damon.

Her eyes scanned his silent, sleeping face with an affectionate look as she told herself that he appeared very peaceful for a vampire who had just been vervained. She found herself wanting to touch his skin, longing to feel it against her own, knowing for a fact that it was as smooth as a baby's. She had witnessed it from the many times Damon had thrust his wrist on her mouth to heal her, or when his lips had kissed her forehead fondly, or when he had gently stroked her face and held her hand as they talked and danced. And still, it had taken her several years, and Enzo's death, to realize that she was in love with him. That she had been in love with him ever since he had come back from the Phoenix Stone.

The first time her feelings had hit her like a powerful hurricane was when she had learnt that Damon had abandoned her to desiccate, and that she had confronted him in person about his selfish choice. She had been so devastated, so heartbroken and angry, that it was clear it was more than friendship. Except that, back then, she was in complete denial. And after that, Enzo had come along – and she had jumped on the occasion to forget about Damon. She had loved Enzo, of course – but not as much as she now knew she loved Damon. Enzo had been her cure, her medicine – Damon was her soulmate.

Smiling at her unconscious best friend, Bonnie chewed on her lips. She was in love with him and she didn't feel ashamed or scared. It felt right. And though she should feel unsure, because it might only be one-sided, she mysteriously didn't. She didn't know why, but the uncertainty and the fear to be rejected were nonexistent. Maybe Elena was to thank for that.

Slowly, Bonnie bent over Damon and placed her brown hands on each side of his face. She took a close look at him, her heart missing beats as she did so, before softly kissing his forehead. Then, without a look, she walked out of the room, closed the door behind her, and headed to the "living-room" of The Armory.

Now that she had made sure Damon was safe from any harm – if she did her part correctly, she had a spell to keep practicing. Approximation wouldn't be enough to control hellfire – she had to be _perfect_.

* * *

Matt stood next to his father, completely powerless, as he watched Mystic Falls' famous clock hit 10:00 p.m. The apocalypse was officially on.

And as on cue, Peter Maxwell wrapped a trembling arm around his son's shoulders, squeezing it tightly as a silent final goodbye - just as hellfire burst out from the high clock.

 _At least, the inhabitants were safe_ – was Matt's last thought as he shut his eyes tightly, already thinking about the moment he would get to see Tyler again. And Penny. Death had never seemed so tragically friendly to him.

* * *

Stefan turned to face Katherine. She was still unconscious, but he knew she would wake up in a few seconds. With a resigned expression, he walked toward his ex-girlfriend's lifeless form. The young Salvatore bent down, and with a harsh pull, removed the dagger from Katherine's back.

Holding it in one hand, he grabbed the Petrova's body from under, and carried her bridal style. Panting slightly, he managed to walk them both right in front of the tunnels' opening. Carefully, Stefan let her slide a little from his arms, so she was standing with her back pressed against his front, still unconscious. He slipped his arms around her waist, and brought them up, holding her as tightly as he could to keep her from moving. The dagger was clutched between his two hands, the blade pointed at Katherine's heart, ready to be thrusted when time came.

And he waited. He waited for what felt like centuries. But then Katherine opened her eyes, moaning in pain, and her gaze settled onto the dark tunnels standing right in front of her.

"No," she whispered, eyes widening in fear as she understood what was about to happen to her. She couldn't die like that – not _her_ , not _Katherine_ _Pierce_. "NO!" she screamed, squirming to try and free herself from Stefan's powerful hold.

But the ex-vampire was impassive. He may have been human right then, but his determination gave him the strength he needed to accomplish his mission. So, Stefan tightened his arms around her even more, gripping the dagger with all his might. His face was pressed against Katherine's hair, his green eyes focused on the empty tunnels. They would soon be filled with Hellfire – the cause of his upcoming death.

And just as Katherine let out an umpteenth, devastating cry in vain, light appeared at the end of the tunnels. A strong, powerful, warm light. Stefan felt intense heat invading the place, and drops of sweat fell from his forehead. Katherine was still moving in every direction, hoping that Stefan's human grip would eventually loosen up. And within a second, Hellfire broke before their eyes.

They had never seen such a fire. It was supernatural. A supernatural fire. So big, and so powerful that they already felt like they were burning, despite being a meter away from it. They watched the red flames burning, mixed with orange, yellow, and bluish ones. The flames danced in the tunnel, flickered dangerously, winding in the air, interlacing wildly, forming what seemed like a giant ball of deadly fire.

"Stefan – please," Katherine panted in a last attempt, but there was no use. Stefan was mute and deaf, indifferent to her distress.

She had stopped squirming, hypnotized, just like Stefan, by Hellfire's ballet. But she soon came back to her senses, and started moving again. Death had never seemed so frightening to her.

"Please, Stefan, don't do this -," she whispered desperately, the fire reflecting in her scared, brown eyes.

"Burn in hell," was Stefan's answer as he planted the dagger into her heart.

Katherine gulped, choked, and fought to keep her eyes open. As if she could defeat Death again. Stefan clenched the dagger, refusing to let go of it till' they had both died. They watched, eyes wide open, as Death creeped closer and closer. Together, they stayed still, heads held high, and stubbornly looked straight ahead to face their end.

And then Hellfire wrapped around their silhouettes, and engulfed them like vulgar bread crumbs.

* * *

Bonnie stood in the middle of the room. The Armory was a huge building, but she had chosen to draw Hellfire in its giant study. The last place she had seen Caroline, Ric, and the twins. Maybe the last place she'll have lived in.

Candles were placed on every single table of the room. They created a spiritual, _fatal_ atmosphere. Just like what she was about to do. Bonnie lit the last candle, blew on the match, and stepped away.

She admired her work with teary eyes. She thought about Damon, Caroline, Stefan, Ric, the girls, Matt, Elena, and Enzo. And she nodded to herself, almost as if she was motivating herself. This was the right decision. This was the right thing to do.

The brunette sighed and checked her watch – 10:00 p.m. It was time. She shook her head and shoulders, rubbed her hands together, and faced the greatness of the room. _Let the battle begin._

"Okay, Grams," the young woman's soft voice echoed around her. "If I ever needed you to hear me – hear me _now_ ," she swallowed, exhaling deeply as she prepared herself for the ultimate battle of her existence.

Bonnie took a deep breath, and raised her brown hands into the air, in front of her. The witch closed her eyes, focusing, thinking about all the people she had to save. She felt the flow of her magic invading her, the power of the Bennett line from which she descended overwhelming her - and she struck.

"Phasmatos incendia movet. Phasmatos incendia moveto. Ego es vos. Vos es unos," Bonnie recited, closing her eyes and fists as she did so.

 _I can do this. I can do this. I'm powerful enough. I_ have _to do this. I will succeed._

And she repeated the spell, again and again, her voice raising as she felt her magic starting to take effect. It was like a strong call. She was drawn to her power and she knew she had to keep going for it to work. She wouldn't abandon. Not before Hellfire had been destroyed before her eyes.

Her fists clenched even tighter, the tables and chairs started trembling, and a strong wind hit Bonnie's face. Her hair flew behind her, her feet moved slightly as she lost her balance – but she was stronger. She was determined. The Bennett beauty squinted through the blasts of wind hammering against her face, and planted her feet in the ground, refusing to let herself be blown away. Her mouth kept moving, reciting the spell over and over again.

And Bonnie drew her fists even closer to her stomach, as if physically summoning Hellfire toward her. _Battle's on_.

* * *

The bell rang. The class was over.

Sounds of feet stamping on the high school floor. People walking in every direction. Foreign voices echoing in the corridors; screaming, laughing, randomly talking.

A final whistle. A bossy, bubbly voice counting down the rhythm.

 _Up and down! And back! Five, six, seven, eight!_

And three girls giggling. A tall, blond, blue-eyed girl; an equally tall, brown-eyed other girl; and a smaller, brown-skinned brunette.

 _I can't believe it! We are all in here, together!_

And then – a deeper, masculine, yet gentle voice.

 _Is this the mans' room? Yeah, huh – it's a long story._

Elena was standing in the middle of the long, high school corridor, staring at a large showcase. It was filled with memories – pictures, diplomas, articles, trophies, medals… And weirdly, the young Gilbert could remember each of them. She remembered the circumstances in which they had been won – some of them by herself, others with Caroline and Bonnie.

But her eyes were fixed upon one picture. The Cheerleaders' Team picture. There she was, in the middle, Caroline and Bonnie respectively posing on her left and right. And the rest of the girls behind them. They were all wearing their black and red uniforms, striped with white lines.

The corners of her lips lifted into a small smile.

So many things had happened in this corridor, in this high school. Her memories kept invading her mind, sometimes making her think she was going crazy. She could make out her friends' voices ringing in her head. She could hear their laughs. She recognized the tone of their voices. It was like every single conversation she had had within these walls were coming back to her in a flash. It was overwhelming. Positively surprising.

She had been the happiest girl alive, back then. Her parents had died, but she was surrounded by her friends. And her friends were her family. Jenna, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Tyler, Ric, Stefan and Damon – they were her family. And she missed them terribly.

Elena stepped away from the showcase, and decided to wander somewhere else in the high school. She walked slowly, taking in everything she could – the classrooms, the lockers, the bathrooms, even the colors of the walls. They were all memories she would cherish until her last breath, and even after.

She didn't know why she was there. One minute she had been with Bonnie, the other Bonnie had disappeared – and then it seemed she had blacked out. She had woken up in the high school's boiler room, spread out on the cold floor. Scared and surprised at first, she had then shrugged and decided to visit.

She was curious, intrigued by the reason why she was here. It was the first time Elena found herself in a place she hadn't wished to be. Usually, the brunette only had to think about wherever she wanted to go, and she was – just like she had explained to Bonnie earlier. But never had she been drawn somewhere without wanting to. She didn't know how she had ended up in Mystic Falls' high school, but one thing was sure – an external force had put her in there. And the doppelganger didn't know whether to take it as a good, or a bad thing.

Pensive, Elena turned a corner, and –

A muscular chest collided with her, and strong arms caught her in time to keep her from falling backward. Elena raised her head – it was Stefan. Her eyes widened in shock, and she gaped.

"Hi," Stefan breathed out, offering her a warm smile.

"Hi," Elena returned quietly, after regaining her composure.

The brunette grinned widely to her ex-boyfriend, happy to see him. Happy to see someone she knew and loved in this familiar, yet lonely place. She was so caught up in her relief that she didn't pay attention to the fact that this was supposed to be a place between life and death. But then something occurred to her, as Stefan smiled again – how could _he_ be here with her?

"What happened?" she asked, slowly stepping away from him. Something was wrong – she felt it. "Why am I here right now? Why are _you_ here?" Elena frowned, meeting Stefan's nervous gaze.

"I don't know about Bonnie, but – Damon wanted to sacrifice everything," Stefan started calmly, watching as Elena's eyebrows raised even more in confusion. "To save all of us. To save this town," he added, gulping.

"I-I – I don't understand, Stefan," the Gilbert girl stammered, not taking her eyes off him.

Fear was starting to make its way into her body, right through her heart. She didn't like Stefan's expression as she watched him closely. He seemed – _paler_ than usual. Out. Like there was no life inside him anymore. She shivered at the thought.

"Katherine came back from Hell. She brought you here – in the boiler room," Stefan explained in the most casual voice he could manage, though he was feeling a thousand different emotions right now. "She met Kai and she asked him to cast a spell on you – I tried to get you out of here but I couldn't, because your body was trapped inside the room by the spell," the ex-vampire continued, but it was getting harder and harder to talk because of the moment he dreaded – the moment he would tell her what he'd done with Bonnie.

"So, that was _her_ ," Elena interrupted him, frowning again. "I should've known," she whispered absentmindedly.

Her evil twin would never let go of the past, even in Hell. That's how _bad_ she hated Elena. It made sense now that she thought about it. The only way she could've ended up somewhere she hadn't wished to be was for someone to have put her body in there. And who better than Katherine Pierce, her sworn enemy, to do just that?

Stefan nodded. Her reflection had given him some time to regain emotional strength. He had to tell her the rest. All of it. Before it was time for him to go.

"But that's not all," the young Salvatore sighed, and Elena's head jerked upwards. What more could there be? "Katherine found a way to destroy Mystic Falls. She used Matt's mother, and Vicki, as her minions. She made them ring the bell, so that Hellfire would burst out of it – and then burn the town down," he revealed to her, lowering his gaze to the ground.

"Oh, my god," Elena whispered, shocked and frightened. Her eyes widened, her hands started trembling, and she found it hard to breath. "Is everyone okay? Bonnie? Caroline? Damon? Matt?" she enumerated hastily, her eyes not leaving Stefan though he was trying to avoid her stare.

"Caroline is fine – she left the town in time with Ric and the twins," Stefan said. "As for Matt, I'm not sure yet," he bit his lip, hoping to find enough courage to keep telling her everything. He took a long, deep breath. "But for Bonnie and Damon – "he stopped, lifting his head back up to meet Elena's horrified expression.

"What about them? What happened, Stefan?! Tell me what's going on, _please_ ," the brunette lost her nerves, her voice raising anxiously as she pleaded Stefan to answer with demanding brown eyes.

"Damon is safe – we made sure of it," Stefan told her, talking mostly to himself. "Bonnie and I had a plan, Elena," he informed her, watching closely as Elena's face seemed to relax at the mention of Damon being safe, but hardened almost as instantly when he mentioned himself and Bonnie.

"What - what plan, Stefan?" Elena pressed him, her tone scared and uncertain.

She didn't like this at all. She hated where it was going. It smelled like pain – and she had had enough of it, already.

Stefan swallowed hard. There it was – the moment he dreaded.

"Bonnie's powers came back and she – she decided to perform a spell which would draw hellfire to where she was. Meaning, to The Armory," he started, now refusing to meet his ex-lover's worried eyes. "Then she had to gather enough strength to send it right back in the bell – it would destroy Hell once for all. But someone had to stay with Katherine – to throw her in hellfire at the right moment, so she would be taken away with it," he paused, cautious to find the right words. "Damon was supposed to be the one to stay with Katherine and make sure she was dead for good. But I wouldn't let him do that, I couldn't let him die – and neither did Bonnie," Stefan looked at her, and he couldn't help thinking it would be the last time he would do that.

"What did you do?" Elena whispered with panic, almost panting. She stared at him – his eyes were teary now, and his face as white as a sheet of paper. Why was he _so_ pale?

"I made a deal with Bonnie," Stefan's voice cracked a little, but he held on. "We made him believe that he would be the one to stay with Katherine. We lied to him about the plan," he continued, the tears threatening to fall from his emotional eyes. "I took his place, Elena," he finally let out in a pained tone, his eyes shining with unshed tears and staring at her brown, shocked ones.

"No," Elena murmured unbelievingly. "No, no, no," she repeated, tearing her eyes away from Stefan's as she understood what it meant.

Stefan looked at her, helpless. He had never imagined it would be this hard.

"Are you -?" she croaked, throat dry, still unable to say the word out loud.

"Yes, Elena. I'm dead. I died with Katherine," Stefan confirmed her worst nightmare, and watched as tears rolled down her cheeks like a fountain.

Now, she knew – he was as pale as _Death_.

* * *

Damon opened his eyes. Groaning in pain, he swore before pushing on his arms and legs to sit up. The blanket in which he was covered fell to the ground, but he didn't seem to notice. It was not long before he realized he was in a room. On a bed. It looked familiar, but his brain was still deeply affected by the vervain he had received to recognize it.

The dark-haired vampire turned his head to look around – blue walls, a desk on his left, a big glass window in front of him. Damon frowned – _what the hell?!_

He noticed the bedside table on his right, and spotted the glass of blood upon it. Shrugging, and without wondering where or whom it came from, Damon grabbed it and gulped it down at once. Its taste was very familiar and delicious. There – he felt _much_ better now. He smirked, thinking that whoever his enemy was, they hadn't chosen the right time – or the right _person_.

But then it came back to him. Stefan. Katherine. The crypt. Hellfire. _Bonnie_. And his amused face fell.

He stared at the room once more and his eyes widened in understanding – The Armory.

* * *

 ***** TO BE CONTINUED*****

 _Hello there ! So here's part 2 - sorry for the long waiting, but it's not over yet ! ;)  
_

 _I'm curious to know if you have any idea how I intend to end this Finale 2.0 ? Something tells me you're far from the actual truth, but do write your hypothesis if you're interested ! Anyway, I hope you like the turn events are taking - I tried to make it as logical as possible, but not sure everything's clear so tell me what you think about that._

 _Now about ships - I'm obviously much more used to writing Bonnie and Damon scenes, so I hope I did good on the Steroline, Defan, and Stelena ones. I wanted to respect each character's personnality. Don't scream at me because I made Steroline say goodbye to each other on the phone * hides behind a bush* ! I just didn't see their scene at The Armory (in the TV show finale) as very relevant and I would've had to find a way to explain why Caroline would come back there and bla bla bla...Too much thinking already to add this one !_

 _I promised you more Bamon - but I never said physically ! ;D Don't hate me. I tried my best to make their phone call and the little scene in The Armory as cute as possible. I'm sure you understand I couldn't make them physically interact YET for the sake of the storyline I'm developping for this rewriting. But don't worry, the best of the best is coming in the 3rd part !_

 _The 3rd part will be the final one of my TVD Rewriting, so be ready for the end I've imagined ! I hope you'll love it, and that you'll be surprised !_

 _But for now, I'm looking forward to your thoughts, suggestions, opinions and whatever you want on this 2nd part ! So, pen in hands !_

 ** _*** REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS MUCH APPRECIATED***_**

 _Kisses,_

 _KatemonLazuli_


	3. Chapter 3

Matt closed his eyes, holding as tightly as he could onto his father, waiting for the final blow to come. But it never came.

He opened one eye, and looked at his father questioningly. As an answer, Peter Maxwell gestured toward Mystic Falls' big clock. Matt looked up just in time to see Hellfire come out of the bell and burst out of the clock – before it was mysteriously drawn back inside it.

Matt didn't know why. But he realized that he was alive, and so was his father. Slowly, a grin spread on his lips and he turned to his smiling father, hugging him like he never did.

Maybe his time hadn't come yet, after all. He hoped Tyler wouldn't be mad at him, wherever he was now. Their friendly reunion would have to wait some more.

* * *

Damon rose to his feet. Anger had completely taken over in that confused, crazy head of his.

Why would his brother do that? Why would _she_ do that? How could she betray him like that?! It was his little brother's life she had bargained with, for fuck's sake!

 _She_ , better than anyone including Elena on this planet, knew how much Stefan meant to him. He was the reason why he had accepted to complete his vampire transition in the first place – because he couldn't abandon him.

The blue-eyed womanizer's thoughts were all over the place.

 _Bonnie_. His best friend. The person he had the deepest bond with, surpassing any kind of relationship he had ever had with people ever since he was born. The person he had the most incredible and unexpected development with. The woman who had become the center of his life, in a good way, without him even realizing it. At least, not before very recently.

And _Stefan_. His little brother. His one and only sibling. The man he had sworn to protect with his life the minute he was born. The person he had failed the most. And still, Stefan had been willing to die in his place. He had sacrificed himself because he had refused to let _him_ \- Damon Dickhead Salvatore, go. And now he was dead.

Tears welled up in the vampire's eyes, but he held on. His brain was assaulted with memories of his brother – Stefan's genuine, bright smile; his always perfectly done hero hair; his romantic, cheesy replies; his brooding attitude; his loyal, unconditional love…

A tear threatened to fall, and he gave in. It rolled down his white cheek, lonely but meaningful, like the final period of an epic story. His thoughts wandered, hard and sad, but reality soon set back in.

Damon's supernatural hearing caught Latin chants from another room, and he straightened up immediately. His face became attentive, the former thoughts he had been dwelling on fading away as he focused on the singing voice. The vampire only needed a few seconds to recognize Bonnie's voice.

Alarmed, he strode toward the door and pushed it open with all his vampiric strength. He was caught off guard when the door opened easily and he almost fell forward. He expected it to be locked, but it had simply been closed without more precaution.

 _Phasmatos incendia movet. Phasmatos incendia moveto._ _Ego es vos. Vos es unos._

The words rang again in Damon's ears and he recovered from his momentary surprise. The urgency in Bonnie's soft voice reminded him of something – she was supposed to draw Hellfire here. Apparently, _that_ part of the plan had been true.

Damon shook his bitterness away – now was not the time to linger on his anger or think about Stefan. What Bonnie was doing was very dangerous, and he wouldn't allow the universe to take her away from him too. He had to help her. Find her. And make sure she stayed alive.

If it was the last thing he did, it would be protecting her.

Damon ignored the little voice inside him troubling him and focused on the chants. Once he had spotted exactly where they came from, the vampire didn't waste a second. He sped to reach his best friend, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

As he passed the corridors at a dizzying speed, the taste of Bonnie's blood lingered in his mouth, feeding his motivation. Not a single other drop of her precious blood would be shed on his watch. He swore it. He was back into the action again; the previous, emotive Damon pushed into a corner of his soul for now – Bonnie was his priority, his goal.

The troubling voice never left his mind, though – _You're in love with her, Damon. You love her. That's why you're reacting so passionately. You're in love with Bonnie,_ it whispered again and again as he ran.

* * *

The tears were still dripping from Elena's brown eyes. Stefan stood in front of her, silent. Mute. He hadn't uttered a single word after telling her he was dead, and neither had she. Her ex-boyfriend had merely stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

Elena sobbed for a few minutes, shaking her head again and again as if refusing to let reality set in. As if refusing to recognize Stefan's death.

He couldn't die. It was impossible. He didn't deserve it, not after everything he had been through. Mostly because of her.

Stefan hadn't been her first love, no – Matt won that title. He had been much more. Stefan Salvatore had been her first epic love, her _soulmate_. The vampire had popped up into her life the exact moment she had needed him to – as if it had been their _destiny_ to meet at this point in their life.

She was a miserable, heartbroken teenager, devastated by the death of her parents. He was a miserable, heartbroken vampire, devastated by the never-ending war between him and his elder brother. They were both alive, but they felt dead inside. And the moment they had met, the moment they had fallen in love – the zest for life had rushed back into their heart. They made each other feel alive again. They healed each other's wounds.

And as much as she had tried to ignore it for the past few years, that feeling never went away. As hard as she had tried to convince herself, she had never felt the same thing with Damon. Truth was, deep down, Elena knew she would never love Damon as much as she had loved Stefan. Like a rule of Nature, it was indisputable. Damon made her feel a lot of things, but most of them were unhealthy, though very intense and passionate. Stefan had always been the one for her, the _good_ one, the _right_ one - and she knew that now.

Which was why she had been so determined to keep him in her life in any way possible – a friend, a confidant, a support, an adviser, her best friend's boyfriend... Caroline deserved him and Stefan deserved her. She wasn't jealous about that. Elena knew the ship had long sailed between her and Stefan – didn't mean she didn't love him anymore. It was all very complicated in her heart, but one thought summed it up pretty well - she simply couldn't live without him. And she would never _completely_ fall out of love with him either.

"Elena…," Stefan finally whispered after the long silent minutes.

The sound of his voice instantly shook the brunette out of her thoughts. Elena raised her head and planted her eyes on the man who had turned her life upside down. She noticed the sadness and the love in his gaze – but most of all, the _regret_.

And suddenly, she knew what she had to do. It was like a spotlight had been aimed on the solution in a room plunged into total darkness up to now.

Elena stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open as she realized she could save him. Waiting for a reply, Stefan now frowned in confusion.

She would not let him die tonight. Stefan would live.

* * *

Bonnie thrust her eyes open the second she felt heat overwhelming her. This could only mean one thing – Hellfire was here.

Her skin became hotter and hotter as she focused on the spell, her mouth chanting the same Latin words again and again. Until she saw it. Right there. In front of her. An immense ball of fire, the way she had never seen in her life. A boiling tornado. The face of what will probably cause her death – at 25 years old.

She could feel the mystical power gushing from it and slowly crawling toward her like a mortal virus. Bonnie shook her head vigorously. _No_. _It wouldn't have her_. It couldn't be it for her. Not after everything she had went through. A witch, a ghost, an anchor, a human… She had been so many things, and adding "burnt corpse" on the list wasn't her intention.

But still, Bonnie could feel herself getting weaker and weaker. It was as if Hellfire was sucking her powers away from her, drawing it to its hungry flames and eating it like the Holy Grail it needed to be fed.

Her nose started bleeding. Bonnie extended her burning hands in front of her and raised them up in the air, as if summoning a magical barrier between herself and the fire. But it was no use. She was losing strength, and with strength, confidence…

The Bennett witch felt her heart thumping violently against her ribcage as panic started to make its way inside her.

Maybe she wasn't powerful enough.

* * *

Caroline was leaning against the hood of the car, head in her trembling hands.

The atmosphere in the car had been – funeral-like. Ric had driven for half an hour, without pronouncing a single word. Caroline hadn't stopped crying, though she had done her best to do it silently, aware that the girls could hear her. They were already traumatized enough. Josie and Lizzie had finally stopped crying after a while, falling asleep from the energy it had taken from them.

Half an hour later, Ric had finally turned to Caroline and told her that he thought it would be best if they made a quick break right now. They hadn't been on the road for long, but considering the situation, he had figured Caroline needed some time alone. To think and grieve in peace, without having to mind him or the twins.

That's why Caroline was left alone, in front of the car. As soon as they had parked in front of a small shop, on an interstate rest area, Ric had taken the girls to buy some food. Judging by the fifteen minutes which had passed, Caroline knew he was taking his time on purpose. Probably to let her breathe a little. She was thankful for that.

The tears had stopped now. To be honest, Caroline thought she didn't have enough water left in her body to cry some more. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her cheeks stained with marks of dried tears. She had a nasty headache pounding against her temples, and she kept sniffing every five minutes. Not the best state she had been in. The worst one, for sure.

The blond mom lifted her head back up, sighing tiringly. She massaged her temples in an attempt to ease her throbbing headache, before running a hand in her messy blond hair. She didn't know what to do. The pain of losing Stefan wasn't gone yet – it probably wouldn't be before a long time. Years of grieving and nothingness were waiting for her, now that she had lost the love of her life.

It may sound cliché, but the feeling was very accurate – she felt like her heart had been smashed into pieces. It was broken to no repair. The last time she had felt so helpless, so devastated, was after her mom's death. Who she still missed terribly. She could feel pangs every time she thought of Liz Forbes, and her heart automatically clenched painfully when she remembered her. Now, it would clench for Stefan too.

Caroline stared ahead of her, admiring the stars shining into the night. The sky was very dark for June, and she couldn't help associating it to the tragic turn of events their life had taken tonight.

Was that really meant to happen? Was it _really_ what Destiny had for them in store? After throwing so many obstacles their way, which they had all overcome? It was unfair. It was disgusting. It was awful. She didn't deserve that. Stefan didn't deserve that. No one deserved to die like that after a lifetime of misery. Not when happiness had finally showed up in their life. Not when true love had finally rung the doorbell and shown up at their door.

Suddenly, Caroline's depressive thoughts were interrupted by a surprising blast of wind. The former bubbly vampire closed her eyes and raised her arms to protect herself from its impact. When she opened them again, what she saw rendered her speechless.

Elena Gilbert was standing in front of her. Her brown hair was straightened, and she was wearing black jeans with a white top and a purple cardigan.

"Elena…?" Caroline whispered doubtingly, thinking she was hallucinating in her moment of despair. She let her arms loosely fall back to her sides.

"Hey, Care," the brunette smiled tearfully. "Yeah, it's really me," she nodded, confirming to her best friend that she wasn't dreaming, as if reading her mind.

Caroline brought her hands in front of her mouth in a shocked manner. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh, my god," she breathed out, still staring at Elena as if her mind was playing a trick on her. "But – what...? How…?" the blue-eyed vampire stuttered, unable to move.

Elena took a few steps toward her friend.

"I don't have enough time to explain," she said. "But I just needed you to know something," the doppelganger mysteriously started.

Caroline frowned, slowly starting to accept the reality of the situation. And the fact that, though she didn't know how nor why, she was talking with her comatose best friend. She even checked her hands to make sure she wasn't standing over Elena's coffin and holding her hand into her own, which would explain why all of this was happening.

"What is it, Lena? Is something wrong?" the blond asked alarmingly.

Elena shook her head negatively, and grabbed both of her friend's hands. "No, nothing's wrong. Trust me, everything's okay," the Gilbert girl reassured her.

"What is it, then?" Caroline pressed, squeezing Elena's hands to encourage her.

The brunette stared at her and took a deep breath. Caroline waited, uncertain of what was coming, nor what was really happening.

"I just wanted you to know that I love you, and I want you to be happy," Elena started, her brown eyes shining with sincerity and unshed tears.

A panicked alarm clock rang into Caroline's head. Why was her best friend telling her that kind of thing? It felt like she was confessing while knowing it'd be the last time she'd be able to.

"I love you too, Lena…But why are you telling me this now?" Caroline wondered aloud, eyebrows quirking worryingly.

"Just let me finish, please," Elena pleaded, squeezing Caroline's hands even tighter. "You'll understand soon enough, but I can't tell you," she added hastily.

Her friend nodded in understanding, though she was dying to have the answer right now. Elena smiled thankfully and resumed her speech.

"You're a wonderful woman, Care. And an amazing best friend, just like Bon. I was so blessed to have you both in my life," the doppelganger admitted fondly. Caroline smiled back. "Which is why I had to make sure you'd both get your happy ending, just like I had the privilege to taste mine before that magical coma," she continued, watching as Caroline listened attentively now. "You deserve to get what you long for, Care. And you _will_ , trust me. I just wanted you to know that," Elena finished, and Caroline noticed tears threatening to fall in her eyes.

The young mom immediately started worrying again. Why was she so emotional?

"What does that mean, Elena? What is all of this about?" Caroline demanded again, stubbornly. Her voice had raised a little due to her nervousness.

"Don't worry, everything's okay," the brunette answered calmly, but her best friend could tell it was just a façade. "What it means is that I made sure you got your happy ending," she insisted, planting her gaze into Caroline's blue eyes.

"But – "the blond started again, but she was interrupted once more by the brunette.

"Just promise me you'll remember that," Elena urged her on, fighting to keep her tears from falling.

Caroline hesitated for a second, but decided to please her friend once she spotted the hopeful and desperate expression on her face.

"Okay, I promise," Caroline swallowed, nodding her head to Elena.

"Thank you. Be happy. I love you," Elena whispered, throwing her arms around Caroline's waist to embrace her.

Surprised but glad to be able to feel Elena again in her arms, Caroline responded to the hug and squeezed her tighter. After a few seconds, Elena pulled away and let go of her friend's hands.

"I love you too," was the last thing Caroline said to her as Elena disappeared from view in a blinding white light.

The blond vampire stayed still, her arms hanging vaguely along her body as she stared at the empty space Elena was standing in seconds before. She didn't know what that was about, but she had a very bad feeling.

The sound of footsteps pulled Caroline out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to see Ric and the girls walking toward her.

"We've got everything. Are you ready to go?" Ric asked her as he placed the twins in their backseats, before closing the doors.

"Yeah, I – hum… I'm ready to go," Caroline stammered, still shaken by her conversation with Elena.

She wondered if she should tell Ric about it, but then decided that it was best to keep this event to herself. According to her best friend, it wouldn't be soon before she saw what Elena meant, anyway…

* * *

Damon burst inside The Armory's study room. The first thing he noticed were candles placed on every table, and the intense heat in the air.

He jerked his head forward and widened his eyes in astonishment. Hellfire was standing a few meters from him, its giant flames cracking and twisting menacingly. It looked like the most _tremendous_ ball of fire he had ever seen in his life. It was scary, frightening – even for an immortal vampire. Damon had never witnessed such a great demonstration of power.

And Bonnie was standing centimeters from it. One blast of wind and she was dead. Burnt to death. Swallowed by the dangerous tango of those deadly flames. Forever.

Damon's senses instantly went on high alert at the realization.

"BONNIE!" he screamed desperately, running toward her.

He was a meter away from her when his skin started to hurt badly. It was as if he was burning alive. The heat produced by Hellfire was too much to take, and he felt himself sweating like he never did before. The vampire stopped, panting heavily.

"BONNIE!" he yelled again, his throat hurting because of its dryness.

But the Bennett witch was too concentrated to hear him, and she kept her back turned to him. His eyes closed painfully, blinded by the light of Hellfire, and Damon felt himself losing strength and suddenly getting weaker and weaker…

He had to step away from that thing, he knew it. Or he'd die. But he couldn't. Not without Bonnie. Not before making sure that she was okay and safe. He wouldn't let that thing harm her, wouldn't let her martyr side taking over one more time. That time was over. Bonnie Bennett deserved to live, and she _would_.

Damon felt his knees tremble. He was about to collapse from the state he was in. But he tried to stand still, fighting this sudden weakness to stay close to his best friend.

"Damon!" her melodic, sweet voice echoed in his sensitive ears as he was about to give in.

And out of nowhere, he was back at the entrance of the room, away from Hellfire. All his symptoms of weakness and dizziness disappeared, as if he had only imagined them. He was back on his feet, steady as ever, and felt his immortality rushing through him.

Damon looked up and understood that Bonnie had sent him flying away from Hellfire. This thing had caused him to feel that way. He couldn't approach it without weakening. She was still in the middle of the room, facing the gigantic fire.

The vampire could tell that saving him had taken a lot of effort from Bonnie, which had made her lose concentration and allowed Hellfire to get the upper hand on her. Guilt washed him over. All of this was his fault.

Damon smelled blood and immediately froze. It was Bonnie's. He narrowed his eyes and noticed that blood was dripping from Bonnie's nose. Uh oh – not a good sign. _Really_ _not_. His breath hastened and he shook his head _. No way. You're not having her._

"IT. IS. NOT. MY. TIME!" Bonnie desperately cried, blinking and shaking her head as she extended her hands in front of her.

She was using all the power she had inside her. But it didn't seem to be enough, now that she had lost the advantage. Damon's sudden appearance had alarmed her – he wasn't supposed to wake up so fast. He wasn't supposed to be there. He was supposed to be laying in the bed, safe and sound, away from the thing who could destroy him for good – Hellfire. Seeing him so close to it had sent her over the edge of panic, and she had stupidly turned away to send him flying on the other side of the room. Back at a distance from which he was safe. Away from danger. But it had caused her to get distracted, and Hellfire had taken over.

"Ugh!", she screamed out of rage, and planted her feet even deeper in the floor.

Her arms hurt from being fully outstretched but she ignored it, closing her eyes not to be blinded. She had to resist. Even though all seemed lost now, she couldn't give up.

"Bon," she heard Damon call her again.

She opened her eyes alarmingly – but he wasn't standing next to her. She turned her head on the left and saw him standing a few meters away from her and Hellfire, leaning against a wall. From there, Hellfire didn't seem to affect him, and she sighed in relief.

Focusing not to break her concentration, Bonnie kept fighting Hellfire while looking at him. The sight of his blue eyes immediately soothed her, and she wanted to run into his arms.

"What are you doing here, Damon?! It's dangerous, you need to leave. _Right_. _Now_ ," Bonnie said sternly, though she wanted the complete opposite.

Having him here, by her side, provided her some sort of comfort. It made her stronger. It made her want to fight harder. Because it reminded her that she had to save him, but most of all – that she _loved_ him. And she wanted to be alive to tell him.

"I'm not leaving without you, Bon," Damon answered passionately, his eyes flickering with something Bonnie wasn't sure she recognized.

The fire intensified and crackled even louder. Bonnie groaned and averted her sensitive eyes from its big flash.

"You have to, Damon. I've got this," the witch replied, swallowing hard as she stared at him.

"Yeah, right. Don't insult my intelligence, please," the vampire scoffed, shaking her lie off with a raised and disturbed eyebrow.

She could feel the distress and the urgency in his tone. He wouldn't drop it, she knew it. The young woman bit her lip and let out a frustrated breath.

"Damon, I'm serio- "Bonnie tempted again, but her insufferable best friend cut her off.

"I'm not abandoning you again, Bonnie. I promised, remember?" he stated, his expression defying her to contradict him. "I intend to keep that promise," he added with a serious look.

Their eyes stayed connected for a moment, before Bonnie looked down. He meant every word, she had seen it in his blue orbs. She was thankful for him, really. The fact that Damon wanted to honor his promise and refused to leave her side touched her more than he could imagine. It made her feel loved, and cared for, and worthy. But it was too dangerous, and she wasn't powerful enough – she'd lose, but she couldn't bring him down with her.

Hellfire roared in front of her, and Bonnie snapped her head back toward it. Her hands lifted higher and she focused to send another blast of power toward it. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold it back much longer. Damon cursed and stopped himself from jumping forward and grabbing her to speed them as far from this thing as possible. Though he knew it would be no use.

Her heart clenched tighter and she met Damon's intense stare. She almost forgot how to breath by how loving it was.

"I appreciate that," she gave him a small, thankful smile. "But I'm not powerful enough…" her voice cracked. "Hellfire is winning, and I can't be responsible for your death _too_ ," Bonnie confessed, tears forming in her green eyes as she thought about Stefan.

And her own upcoming death.

"Don't say that," Damon vigorously shook his head. Bonnie blinked and moved her feet as another wave of power left Hellfire. "You're Bonnie Sheila _freakin'_ Bennett! You're the most powerful witch on earth! You saved me from Cade himself – you claimed my soul. You created your own realm for Enzo!" Damon passionately enumerated, stepping closer to her, careful not to stand too close to Hellfire.

Bonnie bit her lip as he stared admiringly at her. She could see the admiration, the gratitude and the love in his eyes, that he felt for her. It made her shiver.

"You can do it, Bon. You're my best friend – and everyone knows I don't choose them loosely," the vampire winked, and Bonnie laughed tearfully. "You're strong, and powerful – and you already know how much I respect and admire you for that, as I told you when you went all Rayna on me," his tone was more serious now.

Bonnie nodded, feeling her magic rushing more and more easily inside her as Damon spoke.

"I remember," she breathed out, panting from the effort it took her to hold back Hellfire.

"I meant every single word," Damon let out sincerely. He didn't know why but his heart and feelings were pouring out of him like a necessity. "I trust you, Bon. I have faith in you – you're strong enough," he encouraged her, smiling. "And I love you," the vampire gulped down the nervous lump that had formed in his throat.

He wasn't sure in which context Bonnie would take this declaration of love. Surely, not the one he meant.

Bonnie swore her heart jumped and forced its way out of her ribcage to reach Damon's. His last words hit her like a tsunami of love, strength and hope. It was indescribable.

"I love you too," she returned warmly, her lips lifting to the corners of her mouth.

Damon nodded, blinking. He wasn't sure whether he was hallucinating or not. But he'd take it anyway, no matter how she meant it.

"Besides, you're not exactly alone," he broke the meaningful silence between them, smiling knowingly.

Bonnie frowned in confusion. Damon ignored it and planted his eyes into hers. "Now use that witchy juju of yours, and make me proud," he smirked.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Bonnie felt something brushing her skin. She turned her head on the right, and gasped. Sheila Bennett, her Grams, was standing next to her. She smiled at her granddaughter and interlaced their fingers.

"Grams…" Bonnie whispered, staring at the dark-skinned witch in disbelief.

Sheila nodded and addressed her another loving grin. Immediately, a wave of unconditional love embraced Bonnie, giving her more strength. Bonnie watched as Sheila's gaze drifted to Hellfire, and she started chanting the spell without another word. Bonnie smiled understandingly and started doing the same, holding her Grams' hand as tightly as she could.

She turned her head to look at Damon, expecting him to stand a few meters away from her left. But he wasn't there anymore. Instead, a crowd of chanting, dead Bennett witches surrounded her, forming a powerful human chain. Bonnie glanced around to try and spot Damon, but he was nowhere to be found. At least, not in her field of vision.

She frowned worryingly, but that sensation went away the second she felt her cousin grabbing her free hand. Lucy Bennett winked at her while chanting and Bonnie returned her smile thankfully. She spotted Beatrice Bennett, her ancestor linked to Matt's, on the line behind. Her heart swam in a thousand kinds of emotions.

And suddenly, Bonnie _knew_ she was strong enough now. Hellfire stood no chance against the Bennett line.

"Phasmatos incendia movet. Phasmatos incendia moveto. Ego es vos. Vos es unos. PHASMATOS INCENDIA MOVEEEEEETTTTTTTT!"

With a loud scream, the Bennetts stepped forward in rhythm, joined hands raised in the air, daring Hellfire to resist such combination of power and love.

Like a defeated King, Hellfire bowed down before the Rulers of Nature, and flew backward, retreating into the depth of Mystic Falls' giant clock.

* * *

Stefan watched curiously as Elena fixed him before closing her eyes. Her eyebrows quirked in what seemed like a concentrated state, and her forehead creased.

"Elena, what are you doing? What's happening?" the ex-vampire questioned, frowning worryingly as Elena kept silent for a few minutes.

When the brunette opened her eyes again, she gave him a warm smile and stepped foward until they were face to face. She stared at him lovingly, memorizing every inch and imperfection of his skin, before bringing a hand up to rest it against his cheek.

Stefan's forehead deepened in confusion and surprise, but he couldn't help himself from leaning against her touch. He had missed it terribly. He had missed _her_ terribly.

"You're human again," she whispered, looking at her finger brushing his pale skin.

Stefan froze, taken aback.

"How- How do you know?" he stuttered, glancing down at her as his eyebrows furrowed even more.

Elena turned her head back to him and smiled knowingly.

"Your skin… It's warmer and softer. And your eyes – they're a shade greener. Just like when you were human," she stated with a shrug, as if it was an evidence.

"How can you know that?" Stefan let out in a moved, astonished tone.

"Well, I _did_ fall in love with you, so I noticed that kind of thing. And I saw a picture of you in your childhood home, back in 1903. You were probably 10 or something, so human," Elena told him softly, as if it was completely normal for her.

Stefan couldn't tell what he felt in that moment, except that her words hit him full force and echoed in his human, dead heart like a soothing melody. He was amazed at how intimately she knew him. No one had ever noticed such details on his physique. No one had ever studied him so closely.

Out of a picture, she had been able to recognize the signs of his humanity. She knew him shade by shade, tone after tone. So deeply it made him realize how strong and profound their love had been.

"You're human again and you're dead. This is too unfair," her sweet voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She was still watching him closely, and stroking his cheek.

"No, it's not," Stefan gently shook his head. "I made a sacrifice, so Damon could get his happy ending. With you," he stated and smiled reassuringly.

Elena dropped her head and bit her lip.

She didn't think that she was Damon's happiness. In fact, she knew that she hadn't been for a while, and she was okay with that. And if everything went as planned, and everyone played their part correctly afterward, then Damon would get his happy ending anyways. He would finally have the person he truly loved.

"And I made sure _you_ would get your happy ending. With him. And Caroline," the brunette revealed as she raised her head to meet his gaze.

"What do you mean?" Stefan frowned once more.

It just kept getting blurrier and blurrier in his brain. He couldn't understand a thing. But he knew something was wrong. Elena's aura had changed, he could tell. It was the first thing he noticed as he took a closer look at her. She looked brighter – as if she was an Angel.

"I made a sacrifice too," her voice cracked as she lifted her other hand to frame his face. "I switched places with you," Elena blurted tearfully.

Stefan's heart dropped. Question marks popped up into his mind as he wondered what in the hell it meant, and how it was even possible. The only thing he knew was that it was tragic, and painful. But shock and incomprehension made it all unrealistic.

"What? I-I don't get it. What does that mean, Elena?" he swallowed, torn between this feeling of confusion and the overwhelming pain, grief and sadness which slowly made their way up to his heart and brain.

Elena took a deep breath, and laid her soft, brown eyes on his helpless expression:

"I don't know why nor how, it just came to me. But I figured a way to save you, and I know it'll work," she started with difficulty. The emotion in her voice was hard to control as she looked at him. "This place, it's weird," she waved around them. "I don't really understand how it works, but I know this – the only people who stay here are the ones who truly deserve it," the brunette continued, closing her eyes to find the strength to carry on.

"Elena -," Stefan interrupted but Elena shook her head and placed a finger on his mouth to shut him up.

"No, don't. Let me finish, please," she demanded weakly. Her eyes were glassy.

The young Salvatore nodded in defeat, a nervous lump forming in his throat as he waited for her to continue.

"You don't deserve to stay here, Stefan. All you've done in your life is try to save people and make them happy, while taking blows after blows," tears started to fall from her eyes as she fought to keep talking. "And everyone sacrificed so much to save _me_ and make _me_ happy – you, Damon, Matt, Tyler, Ric, Caroline, Bonnie… You've all lost so much for me," Elena shook her head, thinking back to all the people who had died for her, willingly or unwillingly.

Matt had lost his sister. Bonnie had lost her only family – her Grams. Her mom had been turned into a vampire. Caroline had been turned into a vampire. Tyler had become a werewolf, and then a hybrid. She had broken Stefan's heart. Jon, Jenna and Isobel had died because of her. Everything was her fault, because everything had always been linked to her. Directly or indirectly. The people she loved had suffered to guarantee her happiness, and it was time to stop that.

She was aware of everything she had caused. She was ready to pay the price. She was ready to make amends for everything they had endured.

"So, now it's my turn. It's my turn to sacrifice myself for each one of you," Elena swallowed hard, as tears rolled down her cheeks. But she held on. "I've decided to die, Stefan. To save you. Death will take _me_ now, not _you_ ," she cried, brushing her thumbs against his smooth skin.

Stefan gaped. He blinked. His eyes widened and reality finally set in. Elena had chosen to _die_ at his place. It meant he would wake up. It meant he'd never see her again. But how was that possible? How had she done it?

"Elena, I…," Stefan tried to speak, but his voice got stuck in his throat. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he brought his hands to interlace them with Elena's, on his face.

"The death of a doppelganger is enough of a powerful and mystical event to destroy whatever is happening in Mystic Falls. I can't explain it, but I _know_ it," she forced a soothing smile to him. "I know I have the power to save you, and everyone. I know I _have_ to do this. It feels like my destiny. The ultimate sacrifice _I_ need to make to guarantee my happiness, and the one of the people I love," her voice was trembling.

They were both crying now. Their cheeks were wet from the tears cascading down their face like fatal drops of despair. The pain was unbearable, heartbreaking. It was overwhelming, so present that Stefan couldn't shake it off even for a second. It made him crazy, desperate. Pain weighed on their heart as if they were stuck under a big truck.

"No, Elena, no…. You can't do this," Stefan whispered brokenly.

He was shaking his head vigorously, refusing to let her go. Refusing to face reality, to accept her choice. It wasn't supposed to be like that. He felt completely powerless, and empty.

"There has to be another way…You just can't _die_ ," he cried, grabbing her hands. "Not for _me._ I can't let you do that," he added quickly. But Elena was determined.

He felt her hands tighten around him in response, and his heart broke. It was the last time he would get to touch her. Hear her. Feel her. See her. This never-ending circle of grief was unbearable. He couldn't get out of it.

"There's no other way, Stefan. It's my time, I can feel it. It's my redemption," Elena's tears fell on their joined hands as she squeezed them.

"No…," Stefan murmured weakly, in a last attempt. It held such despair in his tone that it broke her soul.

Elena untangled their hands and brought her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as she could. Stefan encircled her waist, and held on for dear life. She placed her chin on his shoulder and leant her head against his. He bent his head to bury his face into her delicate neck, and smelled her scent.

They both closed their eyes, and cried into each other's arms. They cried until there was no water left in their body. They cried the loss of their once epic soulmate. They cried the death of their love. They cried the harsh separation of their joined souls.

* * *

Damon was panicky.

One second he had been staring at Bonnie, and the other, she had vanished out of sight. He had felt a strange but powerful energy overwhelming him, and then several Bennetts had appeared in front of his unbelieving eyes. He had instantly known that they were here to help Bonnie, which had taken a weight off his mind. He had been reassured.

However, out of nowhere, right after he had addressed his best friend to warn her about her ancestors' presence, she had disappeared. All of them.

The room was suddenly empty, and he was left alone. He wondered if it was an invisibility spell, like the one the Heretics tended to use. His heart hammered furiously against his ribcage, as his eyes narrowed and searched every corner of the room, in hope to spot Bonnie.

But there was no one. Not a single soul.

"What the fuck?! BONNIE!" he yelled as loud as he could, but he got no answer.

He was starting to get very worried. His feet moved without him being conscious of it as he paced back and forth impatiently. There had to be an explanation. She couldn't have just vanished into thin air….

That's when he heard it. _This_ voice. _Her_ voice.

"Damon…," it called him delicately, in an almost inaudible murmur.

Damon jerked and snapped his head toward the familiar sound. His eyes widened and he lost the ability to speak for a few seconds.

"Elena…," the vampire breathed out, unable to move any member of his body as he stared at her.

It was impossible. He was dreaming. He _had_ to be. She couldn't be there. And yet… She looked so _real_.

"Yeah, that's me. And I'm really here," her brown eyes welled up and she crossed the space separating them. "I missed you so much," she confessed, before hugging him tightly.

Damon swallowed and blinked. His arms hung loosely along his body, still not processing what was happening. His body and mind didn't seem to react for a minute.

But then she pulled away and looked at him, and everything suddenly became clearer. She _was_ standing right in front of him. It wasn't an illusion, she _was_ here. He didn't know how, but she was.

"I missed you too," the vampire finally managed to say as his gaze fell on her.

Elena smiled tearfully and nodded.

It was good, seeing him again. Feeling him again. Hearing his voice again. She knew it'd be the last time, but it didn't hit her the way she thought it would. Maybe she had prepared herself to this, years ago, when Damon went into her mind to tell her about Kai and her magical coma. She had always had the impression that they wouldn't get their happy ending.

"I need to tell you something," the brunette sighed, shifting her gaze to the ground.

"Wait a minute," Damon cut her off. He lifted her chin with his finger, and planted his icy blue eyes in her brown ones. "First, you're going to tell me how you are here, and what happened," he demanded gently, stroking her chin with his finger.

"It's a long story but… To make it short, I _chose_ to visit you. Mentally," Elena explained, watching as he frowned.

"Since when can you do that? Why didn't I know before now?!" Damon wondered loudly, his face contorting into a hurtful expression.

Elena took his hand and squeezed it. She bit her lip and offered him a sorry smile.

"As I told you, it's a long story," she shrugged. "But this is not important. That's not why I'm here," she continued before Damon could retort.

His lips closed into a thin line. He disagreed. It _was_ important to him.

He was annoyed at ignoring what was going on precisely. This reunion between them seemed too good to be true, but above all, too _soon_. That's what stopped him from enjoying it the way he should. That's what made him behave so distantly, so detached from her. It wasn't the reunion he had imagined.

"You're probably going to find it weird, but I'm here to talk about Bonnie," Elena told him, sounding determined. She ignored the crazy look he was sending her.

"Bonnie?" Damon's brows furrowed, the subject that their conversation was taking arousing his interest. "What about her? Is something wrong? Did something happen to her? Is she okay?" he bombarded her with questions, his voice full of concern and worry.

"No, nothing happened. She's okay," Elena reassured him with a small smile, and he realized she wasn't holding his hand anymore. "I'm talking about you and Bonnie, as a relationship," she explained, looking at him with knowing eyes.

"I'm afraid I'm not following you, Elena. Me and Bonnie are best friends, you know that. You said it yourself," Damon replied, confused.

Elena listened attentively and smiled when she picked up the uncertain note in Damon's answer. She knew it. She had known it for quite a while now. He was lost in his feelings. He was in denial.

"Are you, really? We both know that's not the truth, Damon. Come on," the doppelganger insisted softly, shaking her head.

It was starting to annoy him. He had no idea what was happening, but it was weird and he didn't like it. He didn't know what to think of this situation. He couldn't tell if it was real, the fruit of his imagination, or both – all of this made no sense. And where the hell was Bonnie?! That's _her_ he needed and wanted to see right now.

That's when he realized what Elena meant. His last thought had given him away. But though he knew what his girlfriend was insinuating, Damon wasn't sure he was ready to confront it. To face his feelings. To face Elena. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't know how to tell her without crushing her heart. Without putting a harsh end at their dream – reuniting after Bonnie's death to live a long and happy human life _together_. That's not what he wanted anymore, and he had understood that only recently.

He had no idea how Elena knew, but even if she did, he still loved her enough not to want to hurt her. He may not be in love with her anymore, but she was still someone very important in his life. Someone he cared and would always care about.

"Elena…Don't," the vampire pleaded her, tearing his eyes away from her to look at the floor.

"Hey, it's okay," she whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. "I'm not mad at you, Damon. It's life. It's destiny. You don't choose who you love," she smiled understandingly, stroking him tenderly.

Damon leaned into her touch and sighed deeply. He didn't regret falling in love with Bonnie, but he regretted putting Elena in that position. He didn't like being the one to shatter their perfect illusion.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I didn't want to hurt you," he murmured, grabbing her other hand to squeeze it affectionately. That's all he could do.

"I know," Elena nodded, and a tear escaped her eye. Damon wiped it off with a brush of his thumb. "We just weren't meant to be together, after all," she shrugged helplessly and her voice cracked a little.

"I really do love you, Elena. Just not – "

"Not the way you used to anymore," she ended his sentence, and the vampire nodded slowly. "I can't be mad at you, because it's the same for me. Being in that coma, all alone, it made me think," she admitted, glancing around before settling her eyes on Damon again. "Sometimes people know they're wrong for each other but they stay together anyway, because they're in love with the image that their love story conveys," the brunette stated in a fatal way.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Damon wondered after a few silent moments.

Elena stared at him and dropped her hand from his cheek. It fell to her side, like a resigned rope that has been cut off its long-time holder.

"I'm telling you this now because I want you to confess to Bonnie. I want you to get your happy ending, because soon, I won't be there to watch it. I need to make sure you _both_ get it before I go," she revealed to him with a genuine smile.

Damon looked at her closely and spotted _this_ expression on her. The defeated, fatalistic expression that people who know they're going to die wear. He suddenly felt like his heart had landed on his stomach. His throat went dry.

"'Before you go?' What do you mean? Where are you going?!" his voice raised worryingly.

"Just promise you'll act on your feelings. You deserve it, and so does Bonnie," Elena ignored his questions as she brushed his cheek one last time, before squeezing his hand.

"Elena, what- ", Damon started.

"Please, Damon… Just promise," she cried and he nodded, defeated.

His forehead creased as tears cascaded down Elena's face.

"I promise, I promise," he repeated, taking Elena's face between his hands to calm her down.

"Thank you," she whispered heartbrokenly, trying her best to hold back her sobs. "Goodbye, Damon," she said, throwing her arms around him to hug him tightly.

This time, Damon returned her hug and wrapped his arms around her waist. He stroked her back and told himself to stop worrying, that this was not what he thought. It was not a final goodbye.

Elena pulled away and Damon squeezed her hand one last time. She smiled and he leant to press a kiss on her forehead, causing them both to close their eyes. "Goodbye, Elena," he said after taking a step back.

Their hands parted and brushed together one last time, before Elena vanished into a blinding, white light. The vampire had to close his eyes and protect them by lifting an arm in front of him. He couldn't help thinking that it really _did_ look like a final goodbye.

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was Bonnie. Lying unconscious, on the floor. He rushed to her side.

* * *

It was a familiar, cheery voice who broke Elena and Stefan apart.

"Wow... That was beautiful," the feminine voice commented warmly.

The couple immediately let go of each other and Stefan's head jerked around as Elena gaped. The two pairs of eyes settled on a slim, tall figure with white legs and long, straightened blond hair. Her famous black clothes and leather jacket betrayed the rock style she loved so much, and there was no doubt who it was.

"Lexi!" Stefan exclaimed with a grin, and he ran to her.

She smiled and they laughed happily when he picked her up in his arms and whirled her around in the air. Elena observed them with a grin, her heart clenching at the happy reunion before her. She was glad they had the opportunity to see each other again.

"I've missed you so much," Stefan whispered into Lexi's hair, once he had settled her down.

"I've missed you too, Hero Hair," she returned jokingly, hugging him closer to her.

"So, why are you here?" he asked her after pulling away from their embrace.

Lexi looked past his shoulder and pointed to Elena.

"I'm here for her," she announced gently as Elena raised an eyebrow. "Figured I couldn't let her go on her afterlife journey all alone, and I'd guide her to it," she winked at her in a friendly way.

Elena smiled and walked toward them. Once she was in front of Lexi, the brunette extended her arms for a hug. Lexi smiled and embraced her softly.

"Thank you," Elena told her, before Lexi pulled away.

"Of course," the blond nodded. "It's good to see you again, Elena," she stated with a small smile.

Stefan put his hands inside his pockets as he watched them interact. Seeing his long-time best friend again had lightened the painful weight on his heart. It had made him forget about the current situation they were in for a moment. That's what Lexi's presence always did to him – it made his life lighter, and better. She had always been a cure to his misery and problems, and she would always be. She was his best friend, her partner in crime for life.

"So, you said you were guiding me to my afterlife – what is it exactly?" Elena wondered curiously as she tilted her head to the side.

"Where do you think you're going, girl?!" Lexi exclaimed as her eyebrows lifted. Elena frowned and the blond girl sighed dramatically. "To Heaven. The obvious and only place Elena Gilbert would end up into," she answered with a smirk, as if it was the most logic thing on earth.

Elena's eyes widened and she shared a look with Stefan. He was as surprised as she was.

"So, it _does_ exist? For real?" Stefan questioned, disbelief evident in the tone of his voice.

"Of course, it does, Mister Pessimist," Lexi replied with a playful scoff. Stefan rolled his eyes but felt his lips lifting into a smile at her nickname habit. One of the rare common points she had with Damon. A fact she liked to ignore. "Does it really surprise you that much, after everything you've encountered? If Hell does exist, why wouldn't Heaven too?" she shrugged with an amused look.

"Good point," Stefan admitted and Lexi shoved him gently. He smirked.

"So, I guess it's time to go, huh?" Elena said sadly as the ground started to shake a little, and the high school's hallway became darker.

"Yeah, it is," Lexi confirmed in an apologetic tone as she took a quick glance around them.

Elena nodded and turned to face Stefan. "Be happy, Stefan. And tell Bonnie I love her and to live her life to the fullest. I don't want her feeling guilty about me," the brunette told him and he nodded.

Bonnie was the only one she hadn't been able to see, before going for good. She had focused enough to use the new gift of ubiquity she had discovered she had as a comatose girl to talk with Damon and Caroline, but it had drained all her energy and she hadn't been able to see Bonnie one last time. It was her biggest regret before dying. But at least, she left Bonnie a beautiful present – a happy and long life with Damon and all their friends. It was the best way she had found to thank her best friend for everything she had done and sacrificed for her. She hoped it was enough.

Lexi stepped in front of Stefan and raised her hand for a high five. Stefan chuckled and high-fived her, before gently pulling on her hand to draw her into his arms. They hugged tightly and Lexi kissed his cheek as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Take care of you, Stefan," the blond vampire told him.

"I will," he nodded. "Don't have too much fun without me," he joked with a playful tone.

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you," she winked.

"See you again when I die," Stefan stated, and that's when he realized he wouldn't see her again before a long time. Same for Elena. But he pushed those thoughts away.

"I'll be here to welcome you," Lexi replied with a smile.

They parted and Stefan walked toward Elena to embrace her again, and kissed her hair. She closed her eyes and placed a loving kiss on his forehead.

The ex-couple stared at each other one last time, before Elena moved to stand next to Lexi. Stefan watched them with tearful eyes as they turned toward the high school's doors. Lexi glanced at Elena and grabbed her hand, smiling. Elena took a deep breath, before nodding to her with a smile. And they walked toward the doors.

Stefan watched their backs walk away, powerless. It was the end of their epic story.

When Lexi pulled the doors open, a blinding white flash engulfed them, and they were gone. Stefan stood still, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"Goodbye, Elena," he whispered into the silence.

And everything went black.

* * *

"Bonnie! BONNIE!" Damon yelled desperately, as he kneeled beside her. "Come on, Bon, wake up! Please wake up! You can't die right now!" he shook her with trembling hands, his eyes planted on her closed ones.

His heart was pounding furiously, so fast his head hurt from all the blood it sent everywhere in his body. This couldn't be the end of it. Not like this. Hellfire was gone. Bonnie couldn't die after her most incredible magical prowess. She couldn't die when the town was finally safe, and everyone with it. And definitely not when he was finally ready to love her.

Damon leant over and placed his ear against her lips, while he put his hand on her chest. He sighed with the most powerful relief he had ever felt. He could feel her heartbeat under the palm of his hand, and the air tickling his ear proved that Bonnie was still breathing. She was alive.

"Thank God," the vampire whispered softly. He brought a hand to his mouth and pierced his wrist with his fangs. You can never be too careful. "Come on, gorgeous, drink this," he said, as drops of blood fell from the cut.

After some seconds, green eyes opened slowly then blinked confusingly. Bonnie looked at him with a strange look. Damon was grinning, and he was stroking her cheek delicately.

"Damon?" the brunette beauty murmured hesitantly, still a little bit dizzy.

"Yeah, that's me, Bon," he nodded with a smile.

Bonnie looked up and noticed the concern in his eyes.

"What happened?" she frowned, unable to move for now. She felt like her knees would give up the moment she tried to get up.

"I don't know. I just found you unconscious and gave you my blood. You're okay, now," Damon told her as he gently brushed his fingers against her skin. "You're okay," he repeated in a reassuring tone.

Bonnie didn't know if it was to comfort her or himself, but the relief she heard in his voice was enough to warm her heart. That's when everything came back to her and she remembered why she was here in the first place, along with Damon. Her eyes widened and she was suddenly able to move again as she sat up straight in one, rapid motion.

"Oh, my God! Hellfire! Mystic Falls! The spell – has it worked? Is everyone okay?" the witch rambled, panicked.

"Woah," Damon exclaimed, immediately encircling her waist to keep her steady as she rubbed her forehead distractingly. "Slow down, Speedy Gonzales!" she glared at him after her dizziness had faded away.

Damon saw the worry in her eyes and became serious again. He took her hand in his and kissed it softly.

"Don't worry, Bon. You worked your nice little witchy juju just fine, and it worked!" he smirked at her.

"Good to know," Bonnie rolled her eyes at him. "But are you 100% sure about that? You didn't leave The Armory, did you?" she stated with an impassible raised eyebrow.

"No, I didn't," Damon started and she sent him a look, which he ignored. "but I know you were amazing, and you had your ancestors with you. Plus, we're both still alive, which means one thing – Hellfire's gone, otherwise we'd both be ashes by now," he pointed out with a "duh" look.

Bonne frowned, before nodding. "You're right," she sighed.

"I told you – you're a wonderful woman, remember?" Damon winked and she smiled.

"Help me up?" she asked with her hand raised.

"Of course, Milady," Damon smirked before taking her hand and drawing her in a standing position.

He purposely pulled more than necessary on her hand, and she landed very close to him. Their chests were pressed against one another, and their noses were almost touching. He was still holding her hand.

Bonnie's breathing quickened and she got lost in the intensity of his blue eyes for a moment, before coming back to her senses. She cleared her throat.

"Hum…We should – we should go," she started with difficulty. "Check on the others, I mean," she bit her lips and glanced around to avoid Damon's funny expression.

Damon could feel she was troubled. It was a good thing. It was now or never. He had to tell her. He needed to know. It was the right moment – they were all alone, nobody to judge them, no one to interrupt them, and no danger to tear them apart before they could finish.

"I need to tell you something before we go," the vampire stopped her from pulling away. He tightened his hold around her hand, and Bonnie swallowed.

She was nervous. He was looking at her the way she knew she had been looking at him lately. As more than a best friend. And for some reason, she didn't feel the need to run away from what it meant anymore. She wanted to know. She needed this moment to happen. It was time. Time to stop denying her feelings. Time to let go of her insecurities and her doubts. Give love another chance.

"Go on," Bonnie said in the most casual tone she could manage in this situation.

She knew what was coming, and she wanted it, but it was still nerve-wracking as hell. As was the longing of any veridical moment between two people in love with each other.

Damon took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, before planting his blue eyes in her awaiting green ones. The second he looked into them, he knew she was ready. Ready to hear it. Ready to accept what he was about to tell her. It gave him more courage.

"What would you say if I told you I had been denying and hiding some important things from you, lately?" Damon started vaguely as he brought their joined hands up.

"I would ask you 'what things?'" Bonnie tilted her head to the side, eyebrows raised in mocked curiosity.

"And," the vampire wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her nearer. Bonnie had a hard time breathing again. "what if I answered you that someone helped me see clearer on my feelings for a very important woman in my life?" he asked with a smirk.

The brown-skinned woman chewed on her lips and pretended to think for a second. She looked up and shrugged:

"I would ask you 'who's that woman and what are those feelings?'" her free arm unconsciously wrapped around Damon's neck. It looked like they were about to dance now.

Damon untangled their joined hands and lifted his to rest against Bonnie's smooth cheek. He brushed it gently, causing shivers to run down Bonnie's back. The other one was still locked around her waist, which he squeezed lightly. Bonnie swallowed hard – something was _definitely_ happening below her waist, and in the depths of her heart.

"And," Damon leant his head closer so their noses were touching, and their mouths were only inches apart, "what if I told you the woman I'm talking about is my best friend, and I realized I was madly in love with her?" he whispered, brushing his lips tentatively against hers.

"Hum, well…," Bonnie lost the ability to speak at the sensation.

She had shivers all over. Her heart swelled alarmingly in her ribcage, ready to explode with joy and love. Damon's husky voice and the way he was whispering was driving her crazy. The feeling of his delicate, pink lips caressing hers seductively annihilated any faculty to think or breathe.

Her eyes dropped to his lips. The need to kiss them was overwhelming. She was mentally begging him to put an end to her misery. She blinked. An answer. He was waiting for an answer.

"I guess I would admit being in love with my best friend too," Bonnie finally managed to say as she looked up at him.

His eyes were full of love, and desire. Damon smirked and slid his hand under her chin. He tilted it up with a finger, and traced them with his thumb. Bonnie forgot how to breath. Their eyes locked and stayed that way for several seconds, before Damon dropped them to her cupid-bow lips. He fought the urge to groan – they were so kissable.

"Hmm," he hummed, causing some of his air to blow on Bonnie's awaiting mouth.

Her eyes closed in agony, and she felt him smirking. _The_ _tease_. She couldn't wait anymore. A rush of need and irritation took her over.

"Oh, for God's sake!" the brunette exclaimed before attacking Damon's mouth passionately.

The second Bonnie's lips hit his, Damon closed his eyes. He tasted them avidly and savored their flavor as if eating a delicious ice cream. His lips moved against hers, their head tilting here and there, making sure to make a buccal cartography of each corner of the other's mouth.

Until Damon had enough and bit Bonnie's lips, causing her to moan lowly and open her mouth. His tongue invaded her savagely and she returned the favor as eagerly. Their tongues danced together for what seemed like forever; they pushed and pulled inside, licking and sucking every bit of lips, tongue, teeth and membrane of their partner they could reach.

Bonnie's hands tightened around Damon's neck and brought him closer as he grabbed both of her cheeks and angled her head to kiss her even deeper. The witch felt herself swoon from the intensity of the sensation, heat roaming her entire body in desire and pleasure. She felt like Damon was penetrating her soul.

The vampire growled deeply, in satisfaction and euphoria. Never had he felt something as _true_ and _precious_ as this moment. That's how he knew Bonnie was the one for him. She had been all the way, he just hadn't realized it until now. Katherine and Elena had been the guides who showed his heart the right path, and led him to Bonnie. They had been loves he'd had to experience before understanding what he truly wanted and who was his veritable soulmate.

Bonnie felt the exact same way. Kissing Damon was like applying balm to her oldest and greatest wound: seeking unconditional love. She finally felt loved and worthy, and actually _believed_ it. Their love wasn't born out of teenage drama like Jeremy or circumstantial events like Enzo – it was born out of friendship. It had been a slow-burn, with a hell of a development, but it had always been there, waiting to blossom. All of this made her think that it was meant to be, that _they_ were meant to be. They had overcome each obstacle that the universe had thrown their way, and now they were finally reunited the way they should. At the finish line.

After minutes of making out, Bonnie was lacking air and forced herself to pull away. They were both panting heavily as they stared into each other's eyes. Both were still blown away by their kiss. They didn't know what to say and refused to break this comfortable, powerful silence between them. Their hearts beat as one.

So, they simply grinned at each other, so hard their cheeks hurt, and locked lips again.

* * *

 _ **2 years later…**_

Everything was mind-blowing.

A white, wrinkle-free carpet spread out on the perfectly mown and green grass, leading the way up to a magnificent flowered arch. There were white and red rose petals scattered everywhere on the floor, adding small touches of color to the bright landscape.

On each side of the celestial alley, were rows of chairs, meticulously placed perpendicularly and symmetrically. The chairs were covered in a silk, white fabric which fell graciously to the ground like a royal dress. A red ribbon was draped around them in the middle, forming perfect bows.

And finally, at the end of the wedding altar, a splendid, white arch stood majestically. It was flowered with roses of all sorts and colors – white, red, yellow, pink. The mixture formed a beautiful crown of plants, hugging the arabesque's form to perfection.

Saying Caroline was proud of her work would be an understatement.

The evening started to show its shadow on Mystic Falls, but the Salvatore House's garden was nicely illuminated with street lights. All of them were decorated with bows and connected to each other with flickering garlands. And an immense banner hung from one tree to the other, signaling the entry. It read: _"Welcome to B &D's wedding"_.

The rendering of this wedding place was one of a fairytale. No one could dream better.

"We are gathered here tonight, to celebrate and formalize Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore's love for each other," started a foreign, old voice. "And what better way to do it than marriage? Marriage – the eternal union of two souls who fell in love with each other, in life and afterlife. A never-ending dream whose context is the pursuit of the most precious thing God ever gave us – love. Blessed you are to have been hit by the most powerful, incomprehensible and indescribable emotion of humanity," the old, grey-haired man continued.

He closed the book in his hands, turned to place it on a small reading desk, and faced the couple again.

"You may express your wishes now," he addressed them with a kind smile. "Mr. Salvatore, you are first," the clergyman gestured toward him with his hand.

Dressed in a black Armani suit, a red rose poking out of the chest pocket, Damon took a deep breath and locked eyes with his other half:

"Bonnie Bennett," he gulped, his hands moist from nervousness. "words will never be enough to describe how you make me feel, and what you mean to me," his blue eyes stared at her intensely.

Her gaze caused words to flow out of his mouth as easily as breathing was.

"As I told you once - but you never let me finish because it was just one of your moments," the crowd laughed and Bonnie shook her head with a smile, "– 'see the history that we have, that depth of feelings?' Well, it _is_ romantic," Damon smirked, and Bonnie nodded in understanding.

She'd never forget that moment between them – the first time he ever told her he loved her.

"Our love is that passionate, intense, dangerous, and profound ball of fire who will never stop burning. But it doesn't consume us, it makes us feel alive," the vampire continued after clearing his throat to calm the audience. "Before you, I loved toxically. I considered love a form of control, of self-satisfaction. You taught me that love was all about liberty and self-acceptance. You literally saved my soul," he winked at her and Bonnie offered him a teary smile. "So, I've finally figured out what I truly want in life – you. Your love, your affection, your respect, your heart, and your body. Forever. You're the missing piece of my soul, and the purpose of my existence, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to realize it. I admire you, I believe in you, and I love you," Damon ended passionately.

The throw-back caused Bonnie's heart to stop for an instant. His eyes were emotional and held a genuineness that shook her. Never in a million years had she imagined being this important for someone, let alone for _Damon_ _Salvatore_. Life was full of surprises, good or bad – but always phenomenal.

Damon gave her a loving smile and she got lost in his eyes, as always. Tears were running down her cheeks – he really was something. Then the voice of the clergyman brought her back to reality.

"Very beautiful, Mister Salvatore," he congratulated him, to which Damon smirked proudly.

No one would ever know he worked on this for _days_ and asked Blondie's advice to make sure it was perfect.

"Miss Bennett, you may recite yours," the grey-haired man turned to her with a happy expression.

"God, it's going to be really hard to do better than this," Bonnie chuckled while wiping off the remaining tears, and the crowd laughed with her.

She smoothed her wedding dress – a white, lacy bustier dress with beautiful patterns which closed in on her waist to hug her perfectly-shaped ass, gradually falling down on her right, in a shading of length. The brunette glanced around at the audience, caught Caroline's encouraging smile and Abby's tearful brown orbs, before planting her jade-green eyes on Damon.

"Okay, here goes," she said after letting out a long, trembling breath. "Damon Salvatore, you're everything I never knew I always wanted before falling in love with you. Our story is of the less expected kind, but they usually turn out being the most powerful ones," the witch started with a grin. "With you, I feel loved, worthy, important, respected, independent and invincible. And that's exactly what I need in my life. We complete and understand each other in a way none other could ever have, and that's how I know you're _it_. No one gets it but us, but you're my darkest part and I'm your brightest one – nothing negative in neither of them," Bonnie confessed with a cracking voice as Damon listened wholeheartedly. "I found in you the unconditional love I've been yearning for my entire life. I found in you the strength and affirmation I needed to be the woman who stands before you tonight. In many ways, you helped me grow and be a better person, not because you influenced me but because you made me _want_ to. And every day I spend with you, every hour, every minute and every second, I feel showered with love, admiration, respect and happiness. And that's why you'll always be my number one, my first and only choice - because to me, _you're_ the better man. The man of my dreams, the love of my life, and the goal of my destiny. I love you, soulmate," her voice trembled with emotion and the tears were back again.

This time, Damon couldn't contain his own eyes from crying too. A single tear dropped from his two eyes, but he didn't care. It was their moment. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. He wanted to grab her and kiss her passionately, but he knew he couldn't. Not yet. So, he brushed his thumb against the back of her hand, and felt her shiver. She licked her lips, tasting her salty tears, and blinked.

Caroline was crying like a fountain, and Stefan had a hard time hiding his own teary eyes as they observed the couple from the closest seats on the first row.

"Very well. Now is the moment to pass the rings," the old man announced. "Rings, please!" he called.

Two small, blond silhouettes then crossed the altar, holding a red cushion on which stood a bright, black velvet box. Caroline grinned as Lizzie and Josie passed her and climbed the steps to place themselves in front of Bonnie and Damon. Lizzie opened the small box, and two identical, diamond rings glittered into the darkness of the night, similar to the shining stars in the sky.

"Thank you, Ladies. You may stay right here and give the ring to the respective person in front of you when I say so," the clergyman winked at them and addressed them a small smile, before turning to Damon. "Damon Giuseppe Salvatore, do you take Bonnie Sheila Bennett for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you apart?"

"I do," Damon answered loudly, grinning like an idiot.

"And do you, Bonnie Sheila Bennett, take Damon Giuseppe Salvatore for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you apart?"

"I do," Bonnie nodded tearfully.

"Very well. Ladies, you may give the rings," the old man gestured to the twins, who grinned happily.

They respectively gave the rings to Bonnie and Damon, who thanked them with a smile and a wink.

"Perfect. Now, you may exchange the rings in the right order, with the words you chose to say," the clergyman stated and stepped back a little.

The photographer payed for the occasion flashed them with pictures as Damon raised the ring and Bonnie extended her hand.

"Bonnie Sheila Bennett, receive this ring as the symbol of my love, my sincerity and my fidelity," he recited as he placed it on her finger.

Bonnie smiled and withdrew her now marked hand. She lifted the one holding Damon's ring, and Damon extended his hand for her to go on.

"Damon Giuseppe Salvatore, receive this ring as the symbol of my love, my sincerity and my fidelity," she returned and put the ring on his finger.

"By the will of God, and the power confederated to me by the State of Virginia, I now declare you Husband and Wife. Please applaud Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore," the clergyman declared with a grin. "You may kiss the bride," he added with a wink to Damon, who smirked and lowered his head to take Bonnie's lips.

Bonnie laughed as his lips slanted over hers, kissing her hungrily. He dived her to the floor and they both drowned in their happiness, completely taken in their intimate bubble. They were even oblivious to the crowd standing and cheering as they clapped their hands loudly, celebrating their union.

"I love you," Damon whispered as he brought her back up. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and she encircled his neck.

"I love you too," Bonnie breathed out, brushing her nose against his before kissing him again.

The black crow above them settled on the arch surrounding their heads, and croaked happily as they crossed the altar in a wave of applauds, Damon holding Bonnie bridal-style.

* * *

 _ **5 years later…**_

"Mommy, why are we bringing flowers today?"

"Yeah, mommy – is it a special occasion?"

"Remember what I told you about honoring the dead, babies?"

"'Always pay respect and homage to the people that you loved and who left your lives, and don't ever stop loving them for the sole reason of them being absent physically'," the blue-eyed girl recited proudly.

"I remembered it, too! You just want to show off because you couldn't levitate that toy, and _I_ did!" her green-eyed sister deadpanned with a smirk.

Bonnie glanced at Damon and he smirked at her, making the resemblance with the little girl even bigger.

"Told you that one was my spitting image, even though she has your eyes," he winked playfully and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Sheila, don't talk to your sister like that," she scolded her daughter with a finger raised.

Damon observed with an amused look. Sheila was the most rebel of the twins, while the other was more discreet but had her temper too – just like her mom. The vampire kept being astonished by how much their daughters resembled them, both physically and mentally.

"But she started it by reciting-," Bonnie raised a stern eyebrow and Sheila stopped, looking down at the ground. "Sorry, Lucy," she mumbled reluctantly.

"That's better!" Bonnie conceded.

"Look at you being all bossy. You can't imagine how much it turns me on," Damon wiggled his eyebrows and brought her closer by the hand.

He planted a searing kiss on her full mouth.

"Huh huh, we're not home yet, handsome! And not in front of the kids!" Bonnie smirked, gently pushing him away.

"Kill joy," the vampire muttered, earning a small jab from Bonnie. He chuckled and she shook her head once more – as always.

The two five-year-old stopped walking and turned toward their parents. They were meters away from the hidden cemetery in Mystic Fall's forest. One only their gang knew existed.

"So, was I right, mommy?" Lucy asked curiously and her sister looked at Bonnie, interested.

"Yes, you were, baby. Today we are honoring the dead. Aunt Caroline and uncle Stefan are already here with Lizzie, Josie and Ric, if you want," Bonnie answered with a smile.

"Really?! Come on, Shelly, let's go!" the green-eyed brunette exclaimed happily.

"Yeeeeaaaaahhhh!" her blue-eyed sister yelled excitedly.

They both ran off to their cousins and the couple watched them go, laughing. Bonnie wrapped her arms around Damon's waist and rested her head against his shoulder, as he squeezed her shoulder and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"I've never been this lucky. Thank you for everything, gorgeous," he whispered to her.

"And I've never been this happy. I love you," the brunette returned softly.

"I love you too," he smiled and she raised her head to meet his lips.

Half an hour later, everyone was here – Bonnie, Damon and their daughters, Caroline, Stefan, Ric and the other twins, Matt and his fiancé Mila (a witch from another coven that he met on a mission) along with their son Sean, and Jeremy.

They were all gathered around a beautiful, marble-made tomb. It read:

 **ELENA MIRANDA GILBERT**

 **June 22nd, 1992 – March 8** **th** **, 2017**

 _ ***** A loving and amazing girlfriend, friend, daughter and sister. Now at peace. *****_

A bright blue daylight ring shone on the stone, resting on an old diary. Behind them stood a picture of Elena. The atmosphere wasn't sad, but warm and filled with happy memories.

"Is it Aunt Lena's grave?" Lucy asked with a frown.

"Yes, it is, sweetie. Today is her birthday, which is why we're all going to celebrate it with her," Bonnie nodded and stroke her daughters' cheeks.

"But how can we celebrate it with her? She's not alive anymore, is she?" Sheila's brows deepened in confusion. She pouted cutely.

"No, she isn't. But just because we can't see her doesn't mean she's not here. I believe that she'll be here with us," Bonnie gave them a small smile.

"You mean as a ghost? Like Grams?" Lucy guessed with wide eyes.

"Something like that, yeah," the witch nodded mysteriously.

The twins glanced at each other, judging for a moment if they wanted to believe that, before settling their gaze back on their mother.

"Cool. Did you bring cake?" Sheila finally said, a sheepish look on her face.

"Yeah, we did, baby," Damon laughed behind his wife and the girls jumped in joy.

"Aunt Lena seemed like a very fun aunt. I'm sad I didn't get to spend time with her," Lucy pouted, imitated by her sister who nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure she would've loved you girls," Caroline stated from a corner. Stefan nodded and winked at them.

"And we would've loved her for sure," Sheila replied in a certain tone.

Everyone smiled at that and they formed a circle next to Elena's grave, which was followed by Tyler's. One by one, they recalled their memories with both of their friends, and Bonnie made feathers levitate around them and the tomb as they sang Happy Birthday and ate the cake happily. Who said honoring the dead had to be a sad thing?

While everyone was busy talking or playing with the kids, Bonnie came to kneel in front of Elena's grave. She lifted a brown hand and brushed the word "peace" with her finger, on the epitaph.

"I hope you found it," she whispered with a smile.

The wind blew softly and the leaves moved reassuringly. In the distance, looking at this small group of happy people, a familiar figure stood, smiling. They could not see her, but she did, and that was all she needed. Her brown eyes watched lovingly as sounds of laughter, animated conversations and smiling faces echoed in the forest, spreading waves and waves of hope. Then, they settled on the kneeling figure in front of her grave - Bonnie.

"Oh, I did," was Elena's answer to her best friend's words.

And as on cue, Jenna, Miranda, Grayson and John appeared at her sides, holding her hands or stroking her shoulders. They stayed like that for a few seconds, and observed these living people enjoying life. Elena was smiling warmly at them, like an angel looking over her friends.

Then, she turned around and disappeared with her family in a blinding white light, a smile still plastered on her face.

 ***** THE END *****

* * *

 _Hey, readers!_

 _So, here's the final chapter - hope you liked it. There's a few points I'd like to clear up and explain._

 _First, I know this was supposed to be a centered Bamon fic (which it is :p), but the TV show finale was such trash for every character that I've decided to give them what I consider a better, more loyal ending. I'm talking about Stelena and Steroline. I did my best to try and pay them homage, because I felt like they deserved it. I'm sure you all thought Stefan would really die (saw some of the reviews from the previous chapter who weren't really thrilled about that), but come on, you should've known I would change that awful decision the writers made! I got ya! ;)_

 _So now I reach my second point - Elena's death. I chose to kill Elena because I felt like it was the best way to go, considering everything that happened with the triangle. I didn't want Delena to be endgame because they're obviously as toxic as poison, and wrong for each other, but I didn't want to make Stelena endgame either (though I know many of you wanted it) because I felt they wouldn't be healthy either. Even though Stefan has always been the one for Elena, and they were good for each other, putting them back together after she slept with and dated her brother wasn't healthy, which devalidated their relationship to me. But I made sure to make a difference between Stelena and Delena, as to show which couple I support and which I consider soulmates in the end. Also, I wanted to end that finale rewrite on Elena sacrificing herself, because as I wrote, it was my way of giving her a redemption. It was my way to make her forgivable to your eyes (for those who hate her for rightful reasons). After everything her friends and family had risked and done for her, Elena doing the same for them (especially Bonnie, duh) seemed to be the perfect way to end her story. Hope you get the idea. And I really didn't want Stefan to die, and Caroline deserved to live a happily ever after with her hubby!_

 _Third point - the actual context in which Elena died. I know this one may have seemed confused to you while reading. The idea is that Elena's sacrifice is the ultimate thing she had to do before dying, meaning that it was her destiny, it was written. She was never meant to wake up and reunite with Damon. She was meant to learn from her mistakes and to pay amends, which she accepted willingly. So, in this weird place she's been since her magical coma ( - a place between life and death for supernatural beings, remember chapter 1?! ;p), there's really no rules. Elena decided to make a sacrifice, and Destiny's power made it possible, so this place allowed her to switch places with Stefan, because that's what was meant to happen._

 _Now about Bamon - I obviously couldn't end that finale rewrite without a Bamon wedding and cute Bamon babies! I worked hard on that part, so I really hope you're not disappointed and that it's written well enough for you. I admit I'm trying to work on my writing skills, it's hard. ^^ I chose to give Bamon babies the names of Sheila and Lucy, in honor of our famous feisty Grams (one of my fav characters though she died in season 2!) and Bonnie's cousin, who died too soon and was completely disrespected by TVD writers in my opinion. Now that might be too cheesy and predictable for you, but that's it. Also, I hinted at Bamon's daughters having powers, but I never explained how Bonnie and Damon were able to have kids while he was still a vampire. That's because I wanted to let you imagine that part the way you wished. I didn't address the problem of Damon's immortality and the fact that Bonnie is gonna die one day, but that's also for you to imagine whatever you'd like. To me, Bonnie extended her life as far as she could, became such a powerful witch that she created a spell to make Damon human, or Damon took the cure. I couldn't imagine Bonnie accepting to give up her witchy side and become a vampire, but that could be it too if you prefer._

 _So, I hope it's clearer now! If you have any questions, please ask them privately or to my twitter : Manon_Diaries (KatemonLazuli). :)_

 _Naturally, I expect you to tell me what you thought about it, if you liked it or not, and any other thing you want to say, by reviewing !_

 ***** REVIEWS MUCH APPRECIATED ***  
**

 _See you soon, and thanks for reading !  
_

 _Kisses, KatemonLazuli._


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